The funeral service of former Independent Electoral and Boundaries (IEBC) Chairperson Wanyonyi Wafula Chebukati is underway at his Sabata home in Trans Nzoia County.
Hundreds of mourners and leaders from across the political divide are in attendance. Top leaders attending the ceremony include, but not limited to, President William Ruto, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula and Senate Speaker Amason Kingi.
Born on December 22, 1961 in Madisi village, in Chwele, Bungoma County, Chebukati was the third born and first male child of John Wafula Chebukati and Joyna Wafula, who are both still alive.
He started school at the age of 6 in Madisi Primary School. He underwent the Bukusu rite of passage in 1976 and thus belongs to the circumcision age set Singilo, known as Bachumba grade 3.
Chebukati’s education
In a glowing eulogy read out to mourners gathered by his son Emmanuel, Chebukati joined St Peters Mumias after his Certificate of Primary Education examinations. Later, he joined Bokoli School where he sat for his East African Certificate of Secondary Education.
Chebukati began breaking ceilings while in secondary school as he emerged the best student, obtaining Division One of 11. In 1979, a young Chebukati got admitted to the prestigious Lenana School for his A levels. It was a major culture shock for him, joining a school with a British curriculum and way of life. He worked hard to be awarded a one-year scholarship at Lenana.
Despite the culture shock, Chebukati focused on his studies and excelled. He enjoyed the art subjects and was the best student in English, History, Literature and Geography.
In 1980, he was awarded the overall Arts price in his A levels at Lenana School.
How Chebukati chose law as a career
When it was time to choose his career, Chebukati was impressed by his father’s friend who was a lawyer and he always dressed up in suits. He desired to be just like him.
He studied hard and concluded his studies in 1980 and gained admission into the faculty of law at the University of Nairobi in 1981.
However, a year was lost outside of university following the attempted military coup in 1982.
When he enrolled in school he emersed himself in the study of legal principles and the intricacies of the justice system.
“His dedication to his studies was evident to all who knew him. As a university student, he was actively involved in students unions and other students organisations. He served as chairperson of the Bungoma Students Union and was involved in a lot of activities to raise funds for students so that they could also get a chance to study,” Chebukati’s son, Emmanuel, read out his eulogy.
He graduated from the University of Nairobi (UoN) in 1985 and was sworn in as an advocate of the high court in 17th November 1986.
Not just a career, but a calling…
According to his son Emmanuel, Chebukati’s journey to the legal world was not just a career choice but a calling. Immediately upon his graduation in 1986, he opened his own law firm, Wanyonyi and Company Advocates, in Mombasa, which he managed successfully for 20 years.
“He saw the law as a powerful tool to bring about change and to uphold the principles of fairness and equity. He was a principled lawyer and believed that a client had to be told the truth from the onset. Honesty was his mantra. To him, the law was not just a set of rules and principles, but its role was to protect the vulnerable, and hold the powerful accountable,” Chebukati’s eulogy read in part.
Emmanuel said that his father believed in giving back to the community and took great pride in mentoring young lawyers, providing guidance and sharing knowledge for them to succeed and establish themselves in the legal field.
In 2006, Chebukati founded CUTU and Associates Advocates, a Nairobi-based partnership law firm with five others. CUTU was an acronym for all the partners, with C standing for Chebukati. At the time of his passing,. Chebukati had 38 years of post-qualified experience.
To better himself, Chebukati had obtained a Master of Business Administration degree from JKUAT. He later wanted to enroll for PhD but he could not do so because of illness.
