NAIROBI Kenya, Mar 9 – President William Ruto has pledged to upgrade a school in Kimilili and rename it after former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson Wafula Chebukati.
Speaking during Chebukati’s burial on Saturday, Ruto said the move will be in memory of the former IEBC Chairperson.
Ruto said he will construct 15 classes and an ICT center at the school.
“I agree with your leader that the school that is near here we will change the name, and I will help build 15 classrooms plus ICT center because Chebukati used ICT to ensure the integrity of the elections in Kenya,” President Ruto stated.
The head of state lauded Chebukati for his integrity and effort to deliver the 2022 general election in an honest and open way.
He stated that the Chebukati set a high standard of leadership at the electoral body.
The President lauded him for his courage and refusal to be intimidated or threatened.
“Throughout his life, he demonstrated great leadership and great integrity. Wafula was intelligent, courageous, and a man of integrity.He is a hero of our nation, he could not be confused because he was intelligent,” President Ruto said.
“When the history of our country will be written, Chebukati will not be a paragraph, or a footnote, or a chapter, there will be a whole book about Chebukati,” he stated.
Ruto also paid tribute to the late official as a devoted family man who raised his children well.
Chebukati passed away on February 20, 2025, after suffering a cardiac arrest while receiving treatment in a Nairobi hospital.
Family spokesperson Eric Nyongesa revealed that he had been battling brain cancer, which was diagnosed in April 2023, shortly after he left office.
“Because of the stage in which the cancer was, the doctors recommended that he undergo an immediate surgery, and the family, having explored many options, ensured he underwent a very successful operation,” Nyongesa said.
A seasoned lawyer with 37 years of experience, Chebukati co-founded the Nairobi-based Cootow & Associates Advocates in 2006 and resigned in 2017 to assume his role as IEBC chair.
Chebukati died on February 21 when he was 63 years old in Nairobi while undergoing treatment.
He completed his six-year as IEBC chairman on January 17,2023.