Tributes for 'principled' former electoral chairman

Wafula Wanyonyi Chebukati, the former chairman of Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), has passed away at the age of 64, according to Chimp Report. Chebukati had been battling a critical illness. Chebukati’s passing marks the end of a career defined by electoral integrity and resilience in the face of controversy. Appointed by former President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2017, he presided over two high-stakes elections (2017 and 2022) that shaped the country’s political landscape. Despite internal rifts and external scrutiny, he became the first IEBC chair to complete a full six-year term, retiring in January 2023. President William Ruto, in a statement mourning Chebukati’s death, described him as a ‘principled and diligent leader who served the nation with integrity’. Born in 1961 in Bungoma County, Chebukati studied law at the University of Nairobi, later earning a Master of Business Administration from JKUAT. He practised law for over three decades, founding Wanyonyi & Company Advocates in 1986 and later co-founding Cootow & Associates Advocates in 2006. He resigned from private legal practice in 2017 upon assuming the IEBC chairmanship.