Kenya Insights

Tag: wafula chebukati

  • Family Reveals Chebukati’s Cause of Death and Announces Burial Date

    Family Reveals Chebukati’s Cause of Death and Announces Burial Date

    Former IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati passed away from advanced brain cancer, which he was diagnosed with in April 2023.

    Family spokesperson Eric Nyongesa revealed that Chebukati underwent two successful surgeries in Germany to remove brain tumors.

    However, his condition worsened in December 2024 when a third tumor recurred. During treatment, he suffered a cardiac arrest, and resuscitation attempts failed.

    Chebukati, who retired in January 2023 after overseeing the 2022 General Election, will be laid to rest on March 8 at his farm in Saboti, Trans Nzoia County.

    He will be buried on March 8 at his Kitale farm following an announcement by his family while outlining plans for his funeral.

    Speaking during a press conference, Nyongesa stated that he suffered a cardiac arrest on Thursday night.

    “In April 2024, it was discovered that the tumour had recurred and because of that he went to Germany for a second operation. He was there until August 2024. In December 2024, it was discovered that the tumour had recurred again and he was in hospital until early January,” Nyongesa said.

    He added that Chebukati had gone to hospital for his routine checkup on February 12.

    He explained that doctors then put him in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where he died while receiving treatment.

    “He went to hospital on February 12, 2024 and the doctors were of the view that he needed to be admitted. He had some problems with his chest,” said Nyongesa.

  • Ex-IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati Hospitalized In Critical Condition

    Ex-IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati Hospitalized In Critical Condition

    Former IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati is seriously ill and currently admitted to a Nairobi hospital in critical condition.

    According to family sources speaking to the media, Chebukati has been declared clinically dead by doctors. His family has been given the option of either keeping him on life support or turning it off.

    The exact nature of his illness remains unclear; however, he has been in and out of Nairobi Hospital. He was rushed there today from his home as his condition deteriorated.

    Chebukati served as IEBC chairman for six years, overseeing the 2017 and 2022 general elections before his retirement in 2023.

    A recent photo of Chebukati and his mother.

    This is a developing story; more details to follow.

  • Former IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati Hospitalized

    Former IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati Hospitalized

    Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati has been hospitalized in Nairobi.

    Chebukati who has been away from the public limelight has been unwell for sometime according to close sources speaking to Kenya Insights.

    While not indulging the details, the former IEBC boss has been  hospitalized in Aga Khan for weeks now.

    It is unclear the condition he’s suffering from.

    Missing from JSC Shortlist

    The news comes at a time when speculations have been running as to how he missed from the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) list for the position of the Judge of the Court of Appeal.

    The JSC had advertised applications for the positions on 13 October 2023 and Chebukati was among those who applied and was favored to win the post.

    However, in an advertisement published on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, Chief Justice Martha Koome-led commission instead accepted an application by former IEBC chair Issack Hassan Ahmed.

    Hassan who is an advocate is among 40 people who made it to the final list of candidates shortlisted for a Court of Appeal post where the Judiciary is seeking to hire eleven persons as appellant judges.

    In the notice, the JSC reduced the number of applicants from 81 candidates to 41 after going through the shortlist which Chebukati and several High Court judges and lawyers had applied.

    Among the candidates shortlisted for interviews set to begin on June 3, 2024, are current judges of the High Court, judges of the Employment and Labour Relations Court and judges of the Environment and Lands Court.

    Those shortlisted are currently serving judges, including Alfred Mabeya, the presiding judge of the Commercial Division, Chacha Mwita, Hedwig Ong’udi, Anthony Mrima, Christine Meoli, Daniel Ogembo, Grace Nzioka, James Wakiaga, Kimondo Kanyi, Jairus Ngaah, Joseph Oguttu and Onesmus Makau.

  • IEBC to blow Sh9 million in Dubai trainings

    IEBC to blow Sh9 million in Dubai trainings

    Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC ) is on the spot over plans to splash Sh9 million on executive training for commissioners and directors on boundaries review in Dubai.

    Three commissioners including Chairman Wafula Chebukati, Boya Molu, and Abdi Guliye—and directors of voter registration, human resource, legal, research and development, ICT and Finance will attend the training in two groups from April 1 to April 12.

    The first group includes the acting CEO Marjan Marjan, research director Catherine Kamindo, human resources director Lorna Onyang and legal affairs director Michael Goa.

    The second group that comprises of commissioners Molu and Guliye, deputy commission secretary Obadia Keitany, ICT director Silas Njeru and voter registration director Rasi Masudi will be trained between April 6 and April 11.

    Critical staffers who have major roles in boundary reviews have however been left out of the trip that will waste taxpayer’s money since the persons selected for the trip have a minimal role in boundary delimitation. The trip has also left out technical staff from the directorate of voter education and those from the boundaries directorate.

    IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati [p/courtesy]
    The troubled electoral body will throw over Sh1 million on each of the three commissioners and the acting chief executive officer for the week long training where directors will pocket Sh900,000 in allowances. Each commissioner is set to earn Sh92,664 per diem, totalling Sh648,700 for the seven days.

    IEBC  will also spend Sh1.25 million in air tickets and Sh216,000 to train each person, bring the tuition fees to Sh2.16 million in total. The move is against the calls by the National Treasury’s austerity measures that encourages the use of local expertise to cut wastage.

    Chebukati has defended the trip claiming that IEBC invests heavily in capacity building of its staffers and commissioners to discharge its constitutional mandate, adding that the staff will be trained on technical capacity and the commissioners will be trained on policy and oversight in specific areas.

    The budget approval was unusually fast-tracked despite questions being raised on the timing of the trip as the delimitation will take place after the 2022 general election.

    But this not the first time IEBC is being on the spot, in March 2019, concerns were raised about IEBC’s plan to splash Sh30 million in benchmarking on electoral boundaries in various countries, including South Africa which does not have constituencies.

     

     

     

     

  • Chebukati’s Family Feud With Mother-In-Law Over Properties

    Chebukati’s Family Feud With Mother-In-Law Over Properties

    IEBC Chair Wafula Chebukati and mother-in-law the nonagenarian Rose Otolo, have been embroiled in a lawsuit over the administration of the properties that the former Nairobi city veteran politician-cum- businessman Weston Otolo left.

    Hellen Otolo told Citizen Weekly that overgrown bluegum trees were interfering with the power line within the homestead. They were sold at a cost of Sh32,000 to local loggers. But to her surprise, she got information from the ground that police officers raided the home to stop the exercise before arresting the loggers.

    Hellen has cussed Chebukati for dangling in matters that are beyond his nose. Hellen also accused her sister Mary of deploying her husband’s powerful position to influence their family property administration.

    Some of the contested properties are 14 acres of land in Mumias and houses in South C, South B, a plot in Mlango Kubwa as well as two plots in Mathare, Nairobi.

    Hellen accused Mary of plotting to kick her out of their South B house through every possible means including a stage-managed attempt to reunite her with her estranged husband.

    “She is hellbent to see me out of the family house but I am here to stay taking care of my sick mother. I will not be cowed,’’ ranted Hellen.

    In her defense, Mary Chebukati claimed that Hellen has been stealing money from the ailing mother through mobile banking and in 2017 and that she wasted family’s millions of shillings when she ventured in politics after being fired from Kenyatta University over sexual harassment.