Ruto mourns Chebukati as a brave, Kenyan hero of ‘great integrity’ 

President William Ruto on Saturday March 8 led the nation in mourning former electoral commission chairman Wafula Wanyonyi Chebukati, who died last month aged 63, as a man of “great integrity” whom he said supervised three elections with fairness and “saved the nation from plunging into chaos during the 2022 contested elections.”

At the same time, he maintained that his deal with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga was not about sharing positions or the 2027 General Elections.

Instead, he said, the alliance was meant to unite Kenyans and ensure the country attains socio economic development.

“The whole plan is about inclusivity and progressive of the country and has nothing to do with sharing of positions or elections,” said President Ruto.

The President inked a 10-point political cooperation deal with Mr Odinga on Friday March 7.

The Head of State heaped praises on Mr Chebukati, whom he bestowed with the Elder of the Golden Heart, the second highest civilian award in 2023, describing him as a hero who presided over transparent and democratic elections.

“Wafula Chebukati was a man of great integrity who did his work without fear, favour or intimidation. He did the right thing that saved the country from chaos during the last general elections,” said Dr Ruto.

He was speaking during the burial ceremony for the former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) boss at his Sabata home in Kiminini, Trans Nzoia.

The President eulogised Mr Chebukati as a man who set high standards of integrity in leading the electoral body.

“I can say without fear or favour that this man we are burying today is a hero who could not be intimidated, blackmailed or bribed. Were it not for his firm stand, the country could have plunged into chaos,” said Dr Ruto.

Mr Chebukati oversaw three heavily disputed elections: 2017 General Election, which was nullified by the Supreme Court; a repeat poll in October 2017 boycotted by Mr Odinga, who had won the case; and in 2022, where he led a commission divided down the middle and his vice chairperson announcing she and three other commissioners had no faith in his chairmanship and the elections results.

The 2022 poll, President Ruto said, saw Mr Chebukati come under immense pressure and threats from the State. 

“We are sending off a hero who was principled despite suffering a lot of intimidation. There were powerful people with a lot of money and influence who wanted him to alter the President's results but stood firm and did the right thing,” said Dr Ruto.

The Head of State pledged to support the construction of Chebukati Centre of Excellence at Sabata Secondary School in honour of the former IEBC boss.

“What Wafula Chebukati did was to use ICT technology to install transparency at the electoral body. He was a patriotic citizen of this country and the ICT hub will strive to achieve similar goals,” said the President.

Mr Chebukati’s widow, Mary Chebukati, took the opportunity to fault Kenyans on social media who had attacked the family, causing them untold suffering. 

“They killed him so many times on social media and that has not been fair to us. Now that he has rested, I hope they are going to give us a break and share the great tributes that have been said today during his send off,” Mrs Chebukati said.

Read: Kivuitu and Chebukati: Worlds apart in personality, parallels as election referees

“If there is anybody who still wants to talk about him, let them talk about the beautiful tributes about Chebukati that have been said today on this podium.” 

The Head of State disclosed plans to complete pending development projects and initiate new ones including road projects, last mile electricity connectivity and new markets.

He said the government and the African Development Bank have entered into a deal to find the expansion of Eldoret -Kitale highway into a dual carriageway and expand the Kitale-Kapenguria roads among other roads in the region.

He said his administration has allocated Sh 1.4 billion to connect 18,000 households with power and Sh 380 million for construction of a modern market in Kiminini.

He directed the Kenya Seed Company to maintain the seed maize prices and disclosed to support the Company with subsidy to bridge the returns gap.

He said his administration will exercise in issuing National Identity cards despite pressure from some leaders to maintain stringent vetting processes from communities along the border points with neighbouring countries.

He defended the Social Health Insurance Fund noting that more than 21 million Kenyans have registered under the scheme aiming at providing affordable healthcare.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said: “Chebukati never gambled with the life of Kenyans, he did his work in accordance with the law and constitution.” 

Speaker of National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula said Mr Chebukati supervised democratic elections and it was unfortunate that some Kenyans painted him negatively on social media after his death.

“Even those who accuse him over his firm stand while announcing the results of last general elections at the Bomas of Kenya have never pointed to the section of the constitution he violated,” said Wetang’ula.

Senate Speaker Amason Kingi said: “Even after he retired, Wafula Chebukati was invited to different countries to discuss election matters because of his integrity on how he handled the Kenyan electoral process.” 

Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya decried over the overlapping roles between the County governments and the National Assembly in implementation of key development projects.

“The Council of Governors is concerned with the rising trend of MPs taking over devolved responsibilities resulting in wastage of public resources," said Mr Natembeya while renewing calls for the Luhya unity.

Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka said Mr Chebukati was an ethical man who valued the rule of law while handling the elections process.

Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot described as unfortunate the negativity directed at the late Chebukati’s family on the social media as a result of his firmness in handling elections process in the country.

Trans Nzoia Senator Allan Chesang petitioned President Ruto to upgrade Wamalwa Kijana Referral Hospital to level 6 to enhance provision of quality health services.

Kiminini MP Kakai Bisau said the late Chebukati delivered in his mandate as the IEBC chairman and called on the new team to emulate his democratic standards.

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