Wafula Chebukati is a man who has seen it all by virtue of his office. He was the chairman of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 2011 by the Constitution of Kenya.
Before his appointment as IEBC chair, Chebukati was affiliated to the ODM party and even vied for a parliamentary seat on the party’s ticket.
However, he left the party and he has not been in ‘political’ contact with ODM party leader Raila Odinga since 2007 when, alongside the current deputy president William Ruto, he campaigned for the opposition chief.
“Prior to this appointment, I resigned as a life member of Orange Democratic Movement Party and I am currently not a member of any political party,” he said.
Wafula Chebukati is also a licensed lawyer having attained his LLB. His firm represented some influential people in the country including the former Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) chairperson Philip Kinisu who resigned amidst pressure over his alleged involvement in the infamous National Youth Service (NYS) scandal.
The former IEBC He is married and left behind three children. He loved to play golf and has served as the captain and chairman of both Mombasa and Nyali Golf clubs. Chebukati is also a member of Kenya Golfing Society.
Here is his story as told by WoK,
Age
The lawyer was born on 22nd December 1961 in Bungoma county but he originally comes from Kiminini, Trans Nzoia county. Wafula Chebukati was 63 when he died.
Education
He attended St Peters Mumias, Bokoli Secondary School and finally Lenana High School. He then joined the University of Nairobi to pursue a Bachelor of Law degree.
In 1985, he graduated from the University of Nairobi with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree and proceeded to Kenya School of Law . In 1986, he was admitted to the roll of advocates.
He also holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology (JKUAT)
Career
Chebukati specialized in legal practice in the fields of international commerce, trade and investment law, corporate law, governance and environmental law.
He founded Cootow & Associates Advocates, a law firm that offers different legal services, ranging from maritime to shipping , company secretary to aviation laws, arbitration, alternative dispute resolution (ADR), insurance to banking and commercial law practices.
The law firm was once involved in a dispute over the ownership of Westlands Market. The firm officially represented the Nairobi City county government in the case between City Hall and Salina Enterprises but the firm did not defend the suit, leading the county to lose the suit.
The plaintiff also sought Sh 325 million compensation which the county agreed to pay. Chebukati’s law firm was later exonerated after the Court ruled that Nairobi county failed to produce evidence showing the law firm failed to defend the case.
In 2007, he vied for the Saboti parliamentary seat under the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). Unfortunately, he lost to Eugene Wamalwa who vied under the Party of National Unity (PNU) ticket.
In January 2017, he took the oath of office at the supreme Court after having succeeded Issack Hassan as IEBC chairman.
“Our short-term goal is to deliver free, fair and credible elections which is 200 days away. We must, therefore, hit the ground running by ensuring all the processes and systems involved are in place,” he said upon taking office.
Prior to the appointment, he had been the managing partner of the Nairobi Office Cootow and Associates Advocates.
Family
Chebukati was married to Mary Wanyonyi who is the chair of commission of revenue allocation. The couple have three children, Emmanuel, Rachel and another daughter who prefers to stay away from the limelight.
Death
The former IEBC boss faded from the limelight shortly after the 2022 general elections. Reports emerged that he was very sick and could hardly engage in any meaningful activity. His death was announced on February 21. Days prior to this, it had been reported that he was in a vegetative state.
