File image of Wafula Chebukati.
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chair Wafula Chebukati and two other commissioners are on Tuesday January 17 scheduled to retire after serving for 6 years.
Chebukati has presided over three presidential elections with his integrity being called into question in all of them, but he has survived, becoming the first IEBC boss to serve a full term since 2007.
In his inauguration speech, Ruto praised the IEBC for its work under difficult conditions, singling out Chebukati for standing up to bribery and intimidation attempts.
“The IEBC did its best in the just-concluded election, with results relayed in the public portal as they came in, with Kenyans being in a position to tabulate and get the correct figures. I salute chairman Chebukati and call him the hero of this election for resisting threats and intimidation to subvert the will of the people,” Ruto praised Chebukati.
Chebukati, on the other hand, was described by Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance leader Raila Odinga as a “criminal who should be prosecuted and sentenced to jail” for “irregularities” in the August election.
Raila, who lost the August 9 election to Ruto, has repeatedly accused Chebukati of committing a “crime against humanity,” despite the fact that the IEBC chief described the August polls as the best he has ever presided over.
Chebukati, who was appointed by former President Uhuru Kenyatta to replace Issack Hassan in January 2017, has had his ups and downs at the commission.
He will be remembered as one of the few heads to have left office after successfully completing his full term, whereas his predecessors, such as Hassan and Samuel Kivuitu, were hounded out before their time.
Apart from surviving weeks of opposition protests, known colloquially as “Machozi Monday,” demanding his resignation, Chebukati remained in office to see through two hotly contested elections and one repeat presidential election.
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