Former IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati who died on Thursday night did not enjoy his retirement as he fell ill soon after his exit from the turbulent corner office at Anniversary Towers.
Chebukati, alongside his two colleagues, retired in January 2023 after overseeing a controversial election in which four commissioners — constituting the majority — disputed the presidential results.
However, soon after Chebukati fell ill and was reportedly flown out of the country for a thorough medical check-up.
The diagnosis remains unclear. At the time of his death at the Nairobi Hospital, sources said he had been diagnosed with brain cancer.
The veteran lawyer is also reported to have been battling diabetes and hypertension. Chebukati was 64 when he passed on.
Before being taken to the Nairobi Hospital where he breathed his last, he had been under home care in Nairobi.
On Friday, his family said they were yet to make a decision on whether to have a postmortem or not. Family spokesperson Eric Nyongesa told the press the family will have to make a decision about it.
Nyongesa, who declined to provide more details on the cause of his death, said the family members would have a meeting later in the day to decide.
“For now, we have not made a decision on whether to do a postmortem. Let us not speculate. Once the family has had time to talk to doctors we shall issue a proper communication,” he said.
He also urged Kenyans to allow the family privacy and avoid social media speculations.
Family members including Chebukati’s father, widow Mary Wanyonyi and his two sons Jonathan and Emmanuel were present at the Lee Funeral Home. President William Ruto mourned him as a principled leader who served the nation with integrity.
“I have received the news of the passing of former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission chairperson Wafula Chebukati with profound sorrow. Chebukati was a principled and diligent leader who served the nation with integrity. His death is a great loss to our country,” he stated.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki described him as a calm but a firm leader. He said in his death, Kenya has lost a great son and a consummate lawyer.
“He was calm but firm. He displayed fairness and he discharged his professional and public duties oblivious of bias,” he stated.
Opposition chief Raila Odinga, who claimed Chebukati had rigged him out of the election in favour of Ruto, was yet to issue any communication.
Raila claimed foreign mercenaries accessed the IEBC electoral server and manipulated the results in favour of Ruto.
The Supreme court dismissed the argument. Throughout his six-year stint, Chebukati was no stranger to controversy.
He oversaw three of Kenya’s most controversial presidential elections, all of which were bitterly fought in court.
In 2017, the presidential election results were nullified by the Supreme Court due to irregularities, leading to a repeat election.
The tense environment at the Anniversary Towers saw then CEO Ezra Chiloba suspended. He would be sacked a year later.
Chiloba was forced to go on leave before the October 26, 2017 repeat election after his relationship with the IEBC chairperson became untenable.
The 2017 period was also marked by significant political pressure and criticism, especially by the opposition, of the IEBC’s handling of the process.
Chebukati assumed the role after President Uhuru Kenyatta chose him, at a time the commission was under sharp scrutiny.
An election was barely seven months away and protagonists cast doubt on his capacity to deliver what was then shaping up as a hot contest.
There were arguments at that time that he was not the best among the nominees the Bernadette Musundi-led hiring team sent to Uhuru.
President Kenyatta unveiled him as chairman in December 2016 alongside Consolata Nkatha as deputy, Boya Molu, Margaret Mwachanya, Prof Abdi Guliye and Roselyne Akombe.
Akombe fled the country before the repeat elections in 2017. Four other commissioners resigned in 2020 on claims they had been sidelined in key decision-making, including the sacking of Chiloba.
At one point, Nkatha – then deputy IEBC chairperson - claimed that the contents of the memo that was issued to the CEO were neither discussed nor sanctioned in plenary.
Chebukati’s stewardship of the 2022 general election was also brought into disrepute as sharp divisions played out among his colleagues at the polls body.
Four commissioners led by Juliana Cherera retreated from the national tallying centre at Bomas of Kenya to publicly protest against Chebukati.
Together with commissioners Irene Masit, Justus Nyang’aya and Francis Wanderi, they claimed the polls were being rigged in Ruto’s favour.
They accused the chairman of breeding dictatorship, alleging that they were denied a chance to verify results as they streamed in.
Despite the issues raised by the Raila Odinga camp, Chebukati declared William Ruto as the president-elect.
The decision, which four commissioners rejected vehemently, sparked controversy and also ended up at the Supreme Court.
However, the court gave the polls a clean bill of health. Months later, Ruto awarded Chebukati the Elder of the Order of Golden Heart (EGH), the second highest honour given by the government Chebukati retired in January 2023, having completed his six-year term, and is yet to be replaced.
The hiring process is underway. He cited ethnicised politics, late enactment of electoral laws, and misinformation as major obstacles during his tenure.
The late elections chief also faced allegations of bias and incompetence from political actors and was accused of lording over his colleagues.
