Who was former IEBC chair Wafula Chebukati
Chebukati died on Thursday night.
2d agoSHARON MWENDERealtime
Gatundu South MP Gabriel Kagombe has eulogised former Independence Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati as a man who had the best interests of Kenyans at heart.
Kagombe said Chebukati stood his ground following the 2022 general elections, at a time when the country was in a “bad situation and there would have been violence but he stood his ground and said the truth”.
“I would like to extend my condolences to the family of Wafula Chebukati who has since left us,” he said.
“We will remember him as a person who fought for the rights of Kenyans, he didn’t fear, he stood firm and ensured that Kenyans got their right.”
He added that the late Chebukati was a hero who should be accorded his respect.
“I believe the government and the country will give him a befitting sendoff befitting his status like a national hero,” the MP said.
Chebukati passed away on February 20 at Nairobi Hospital at the age of 63.
He served as the chairman of the electoral commission for a full six-year term, retiring in January 2023 after overseeing the 2022 General Election.
High-stakes electoral processes, reforms, and controversy, particularly during the disputed 2017 and 2022 elections marked his tenure.
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 speculation.
Family members including Chebukati’s father, widow Mary Wanyonyi and his two sons Jonathan and Emmanuel were present at the Lee Funeral Home.
