Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson Wafula Chebukati is dead. Chebukati passed away aged 64. Chebukati died on Thursday, February 20 at 11 pm while undergoing treatment at a Nairobi Hospital.
Chebukati was a lawyer by profession. He served as the chair of the electoral commission from 2017 until his retirement in January 2023. He was the first IEBC Chairperson to successfully complete the six-year constitutional term.
He attended Lenana High School and thereafter went on to acquire a Bachelor of Law from the University of Nairobi, a postgraduate diploma at the Kenya School of Law (KSL) and a Master of Business Administration from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).
He had founded law firm Cootow & Associate Advocates in 2006. He resigned from this firm on January 17, 2017 to become the IEBC chairperson.
During his tenure at the IEBC, he managed three Kenyan elections which included the 2017 General Election, the October 2017 repeat presidential election and the 2022 General Election.
Although he kept his family life private, it is known that Chebukati was was married to Mary Chebukati and the coupled had children. His wife Mary was appointed Chairperson of the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) in 2023, succeeding Jane Kiringai.
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Last week, local newspaper, The Star, reported that Chebukati was undergoing treatment at a Nairobi hospital. The newspaper reported that although his illness was not immediately clear, the former IEBC Chair was in a critical condition.
The former elections boss was the holder of the Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart (EGH) award which he received from President William Ruto.
