Director, Legal and Public Affairs at Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission

Scale: 3

Location: Headquarters – Nairobi

Directorate: Directorate of Legal and Public Affairs

Terms of Service: 5 Years Contract

Reporting to the Deputy Commission Secretary/CEO, the Director Legal and Public Affairs shall be responsible for all matters pertaining to legal services, investigation and prosecution and political parties and campaign finance in the Commission.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Formulate and implement policies and strategies for effective discharge of the functions within the Legal and Public Affairs directorate in accordance with the strategic goals of the Commission;
• Ensure compliance with legislative instruments with regard to contracting, electoral framework, political parties regulation, dispute resolution and petitions;
• Oversee the development and implementation of internal and external communication strategies, policies, plans and protocols;
• Oversee the provision of legal services to the Commission in its legal relations regarding employment contracts, procurement contracts, financial management and general projects;
• Oversee the investigation and prosecution of electoral offenses and breach of electoral code of conduct;
• Provide well researched, reasonable and timely legal advice to the Commissioners and Secretariat;
• Ensure that all legal disputes and petitions are handled effectively inclusive of the use of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms;
• Coordinate the preparation of the directorate work plan, procurement plan and all progress reports to ensure that activities are on track and in accordance with the mandate of the Commission to support free and fair elections across all constitutionally established offices;
• Coordinate regional office functions in relation to legal and public affairs matter to ensure that they are empowered to them in accordance with the laid down procedures;
• Ensure adherence to the Code of Conduct by staff across the Commission to promote public confidence in the Commission;
• Review statutory reports on the Commission to ensure that the activities of all directorates are in line with legal guidelines to protect the Commission from litigation liabilities;
• Develop accountability structures to monitor the performance of the Legal and Public Affairs departments;
• Oversee the training of in-house lawyers to improve efficiency and internal capability of the directorate staff to adequately handle legal and public affairs matters;
• Oversee the development and drafting of legal and regulatory reforms for all electoral areas as per article 88(4);
• Oversee hearing and determination of breach of electoral code of conduct by candidate and political parties and
• Oversee the preparation and publication of legal gazette notices through quality legal research and advice to the Commission on legal reform.

Requirements for Appointment

• Master’s degree in Law from a recognized institution;
• Bachelor’s degree in Law from a recognized institution;
• Post Graduate Diploma in Law from Kenya School of Law;
• Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with a Valid Practicing Certificate;
• Member of Law Society of Kenya;
• A minimum of fifteen (15) years of relevant post-qualification legal experience five (5) of which must be in a senior management position from a large reputable organization;
• Proficiency in computer use and applications;
• Demonstrated outstanding professional competence in legal work; and
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including in presentations.

Integrity Clearance

Shortlisted applicants shall be required to avail clearances from the following institutions as they appear for interview;

• Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC);
• Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI);
• Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA);
• Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP);
• Higher Education Loans Board;
• Professional bodies (where applicable) to which the applicant is a member e.g. LSK, IHRM, KISM, ICPAK, AAK, IEK etc. and
• Credit Reference Bureau Africa Ltd or Metropol Credit Reference Bureau.

Security Clearance

All shortlisted applicants may be subjected by the Commission to a security clearance by National Intelligence Service (NIS).