Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson Wafula Chebukati has passed away.
Chebukati died on Thursday, February 20 night at the age of 63 while undergoing treatment at a Nairobi Hospital.
He had been admitted to the hospital for nearly a week and was placed in the Intensive Care Unit.
Chebukati served as the IEBC chairperson for a full term of six years between January 2017 and January 17, 2023, and oversaw the 2017 and 2022 general elections.
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In his farewell message, while exiting IEBC, Chebukati said he had no regrets during his tenure at the commission.
"I was appointed the chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission on January 18, 2017, for a constitutional term of six years. Yesterday I completed my term. It has been an honour.
“I exit contented that we gave it our best to this commission. We chartered and weathered storms that threatened the existence of the commission,” he said.
Before joining IEBC, Chebukati served as a lawyer for 37 years and ran a law firm Cootow & Associates Advocates until 2017 when he resigned.
He was also a politician and vied for the Saboti parliamentary seat on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party ticket during the 2007 general election but lost to DAP-K party leader Eugene Wamalwa.
On December 12, 2022, during the Jamuhuri Day celebrations, President William Ruto awarded Chebukati with the Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart (EGH).
Chebukati is married to the Chairperson of the Commission on Revenue Allocation Mary Chebukati, and together they have three children Jonathan, Rachel, and Emmanuel Chebukati.
