Millenials, Gen Z Prefer Anne Amadi As IEBC Chairperson: TIFA Survey
The latest TIFA poll, released on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, shows Amadi leading the race with 41 per cent support nationwide — nearly twice as much as her closest rival, Charles Nyachae, who trails at 23 per cent.
Viral Tea Ke Writer 
A majority of Kenyans now believe that former Registrar of the Judiciary Anne Amadi should be the new Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson, succeeding the late Wafula Chebukati.
The latest TIFA poll, released on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, shows Amadi leading the race with 41 per cent support nationwide — nearly twice as much as her closest rival, Charles Nyachae, who trails at 23 per cent.
Following the top two, Erastus Ethekon came third at 15 per cent. Abdulqadir Ramadhan was ranked fourth with 12 per cent of Kenyans who answered the survey, opining that he would be best suited for the job.
Amadi’s backing appeared steady across gender lines, with 42 per cent of women and 40 per cent of men supporting him. Meanwhile, Nyachae’s support skews male, with 26 per cent of men backing him compared to just 20 per cent of women.
Charles Nyachae when he appeared before the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) selection panel. /FILE
“Among all Kenyans, after being given the names of the four final candidates for the position of IEBC Chair, Anne Amadi emerged as the most popular, with nearly twice as many naming her as the next most popular candidate, Charles Nyachae (41% vs. 23%).
"Surprisingly, perhaps, her popularity among females is only slightly higher than among males (42% vs. 40%), though Nyachae’s popularity is somewhat higher among males than among females (26% vs. 20%),” the TIFA poll reads in part.
Surprisingly, TIFA revealed that young Kenyans are increasingly preferring Amadi to take the heavily spotlighted job at IEBC, with those aged 18-34 years preferring the 60-year-old over Nyachae.
“Younger respondents aged 18 to 34 are more inclined to support Anne Amadi, while older respondents aged 35 and above show a slightly stronger preference for Charles Nyachae,” adds the poll.
Furthermore, the poll disclosed that the majority of Kenyans were more aware of Amadi’s candidacy, with 30 per cent knowing about her contention for the position, and Nyachae was known by just 11 per cent. No one else was able to name the other two candidates.
A clear majority (61 per cent) could not name any. However, among those who could identify the responsibility deadline the IEBC has already missed, that is, reviewing constituency boundaries, awareness of at least the two most-recognised candidates, Amadi and Nyachae, was somewhat greater, according to TIFA.
Why Kenyans Want Amadi As IEBC Chairperson
Many Kenyans who supported Amadi said they felt it was time for a woman to head the electoral commission, while others cited her ethnic background as a key reason for their support.
"While Ramadhan’s supporters gave him a higher rating for his perceived independence/absence of bias (40%), Nyachae got the highest marks for his experience (56%)," read the report in part.
"For her part, Amadi was the only one of the four who gained the most credit for two criteria: gender preference (for a woman), and her community-regional origins 21% and 7%, respectively). For his part, Ehekon’s backers identified his identity as representing new leadership and thus change slightly higher than anyone else (18%)."
The new survey was released just two days after President William Ruto received the official report on the IEBC Chairperson and Commissioner recruitment process.
The report, delivered at State House on Monday, May 5, by IEBC Selection Panel Chairperson Nelson Makanda, followed an intensive vetting process for the nominees.
Under the IEBC Act, the President now has seven days to pick suitable candidates for both positions and forward their names to the National Assembly for approval. Parliament will then have another seven days to vet the nominees and return the final list to the President for appointment.
