Former IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati Dies in ICU at 62

Wafula Chebukati, ex-boss of Kenya’s election body, IEBC, died at 62 on February 20, 2025, in Nairobi Hospital’s ICU after a long illness. The lawyer ran the messy 2017 and 2022 elections, both slammed with scandals. In 2017, the Supreme Court threw out Uhuru Kenyatta’s win, saying Chebukati messed it up—over 100 died in protests. In 2022, he gave William Ruto a razor-thin victory over Raila Odinga, 50.5% to 48.8%, but four IEBC commissioners called it shady and walked out.

Chebukati’s scandals piled up. Critics say he took bribes—like a $1 billion offer in 2022, claimed by Ruto’s deputy Rigathi Gachagua, to block Ruto’s win—and faced death threats to rig votes. Raila Odinga called him a criminal, alleging he stole elections in 2013, 2017, and 2022. Posts on social media claim USAID paid him billions to hand Ruto the presidency, and he got a fat reward—Kenya’s second-highest civilian honor, Elder of the Golden Heart, plus cash. In 2017, his law firm was accused of snagging IEBC deals, but Parliament dropped it for lack of proof. Ruto later said there was a plot to kidnap and kill Chebukati to flip the 2022 results.

Chebukati’s death has tongues wagging. Videos of him weak in hospital got millions of views, with some cheering while others suspicious of the true cause of his death . Critics blast him for handing Ruto power despite chaos at Bomas tallying center, where he was attacked.

May he rest in peace.