Chebukati died with many secrets, left properties without a will
Courts
By
Kamau Muthoni
| Dec 31, 2025
By the time Wafula Chebukati left the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), he was either loved or loathed by those who won or lost the election.
Back to his wife and children, the man whom the country trusted with the important yet contentious and perhaps thankless exercise of refereeing the contest that determined the country’s leadership, he silently bowed out to join his ancestors.
But who was he beyond the corner office at the Hazina Towers and the many pressers at the Bomas of Kenya, which in his last appearance was soaked with choruses from choirs that sang as results trickled in.
The Standard can reveal that Chebukati died without a will.
Documents filed before the High Court indicate that the former IEBC chair’s family settled on his widow Mary Andeyo and daughter, Rachel Nekesa, to manage the wealth he left.
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At the time of his death, on February 1, 2025, Chebukati is claimed to have accumulated wealth estimated to be around Sh35 million.
From documents in our possession, the family indicates that the deceased had no interest in assets or businesses but had five bank accounts, two of which were for Euros and United States of America dollars.
They reveal that he had a house in South B, and a plot in Kitale. In addition, he had an interest in Kenya Airways, NCBA and Taylor Scott Keston International Limited, where he had shares. Taylor Scott is a real estate firm that is claimed to be based in the United Kingdom and has operations in Kenya.
Further, he also had shares at Cootow Law Investment Limited, a firm that he founded in 2006, and one car.
In the meantime, he is alleged to have died without owing anyone a debt or having liabilities.
His widow and administrator agreed that they would faithfully administer the wealth.
Chebukati left without expressing how he would love to pass his wealth to his next generation, he slept eternally, leaving the country high and dry about the high stakes and the intrigues of the night his commissioners claimed there was a visitation.
At the same time, he did not tell the country about the threats on his life and the story of former IEBC IT guru Chris Msando.
The Hidden Secrets
Chebukati’s death means crucial information about several high-stakes incidents may never be known. These unresolved issues include:
- Bomas Cash Claims: Details regarding alleged influence the election outcome.
- Threats on Life: The full story of what he termed threats on his life, slightly before and during the 2022 elections, a time when infighting took a heavy toll on the commission.
- The Venezuelans’ Arrest: Critical information concerning the three Venezuelans arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on July 21, 2022, who were in possession of election materials. Chebukati claimed the foreigners were key to managing the technological network for the August 9, 2022, poll, but questions remain about who sent them and their exact mandate.
- Chris Msando Murder: Information he may have been privy to regarding the murder of election official Chris Msando before the 2017 elections, and who obstructed electoral reforms.
- The Repeat Poll: On October 17, 2017, Chebukati announced that he could not guarantee the credibility of the October 26 repeat elections, yet days later, before a tensed nation, he declared the results of the very elections he had expressed doubts about. Governance experts observed that he was merely "swimming in confusion" at the time.
- Internal Turmoil: What led to the split between him, Guliye, Bolu on one side and the Cherera four on the other.
List of assets owned by former IEBC chair Chebukati
- An apartment in South B, Nairobi
- An undeveloped plot in Amagoro
- Kenya Airways shares
- NCBA shares
- Taylot Scott Keston Limited or Taylor Scott International Limited shares
- Cootow Law Investments Limited
- A car
- Cash in five bank accounts
- All are valued at Sh35 million