NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 24 – Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebukati will be buried on March 8 at his Kitale farm.
The announcement was made by his family on Monday while outlining plans for his funeral.
Speaking during a press conference, family Spokesman Eric 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.
He revealed that Chebukati was diagnosed with brain cancer in April 2023.
He said because of the stage of the cancer, the doctors recommended that he goes for immediate surgery and he was taken to Germany.
Nyongesa added that the tumor was removed and he was in Germany until July 2023.
Chebukati would again go back to hospital in December 2024, after a check-up showed that the tumor had re-curred.
The family will now conduct a post-mortem examination on his body awaiting his burial.
Chebukati served as the chairman of the electoral commission for a full six-year term, retiring in January 2023 after overseeing the 2022 General Election.
His tenure was marked by high-stakes electoral processes, reforms, and controversy, particularly during the disputed 2017 and 2022 elections.
