The son of the late Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati, has narrated how his father helped him establish a company in Rwanda.
Emmanuel Chebukati, in a tribute to his father read during the burial ceremony at Sabata farm in Kiminini, Trans Nzoia County, on Saturday, March 8, 2025, recounted how Chebukati boosted him with Ksh620,000 that helped him secure premium office space when he started his business in Rwanda.
“When I started my business in Rwanda, we needed funds to secure premium office space. Without hesitation, he loaned me Ksh620,000—interest-free, for 12 months,”said Emmanuel.
After settling in Rwanda, Emmanuel says he repaid the loan a month early, making his father proud.
However, the bank flagged the money transfer to his father’s account as suspicious, citing his status as the son of a politician as the sole reason, which infuriated Chebukati.
He goes ahead to narrate that the same bank later refused to open an account for one of his other business ventures, citing similar reasons, prompting his father to close his own accounts with the bank in protest and urging his wife to do the same.
Emmanuel lauded his father, Chebukati, as principled, protective, and unwilling to let his family be mistreated.
“When we repaid him one month early, he was proud. But when he learned that the bank had flagged the transaction as suspicious because I was ‘the son of a politician’, he was furious. The same bank later refused to open an account for one of my other business ventures, citing similar reasons. His response? Closing his own accounts with the bank in protest and urging my mother to do the same. This was my father—principled, protective, and unwilling to let his family be mistreated. You couldn’t mess with him,” Emmanuel said.
Emmanuel is a very respected player in the engineering industry across the region, having amassed more than seven years of experience in systems auditing, application security, and secure cloud deployment.
In 2017, he co-founded the regional data analytics company, Hepta Analytics, headquartered in Rwanda with an office in Nairobi. The company specialises in data science and analytics practices aimed at transforming raw data into information and insights that empower businesses to make informed decisions.
According to MediaMax, among its services is big data analysis which involves analysing data on its customers’ infrastructure as well as software development.
Other services include infrastructure and cloud design, research and consultancy, and geospatial technologies, as well as training.
Some of the company’s products include HeptaPay, a bill payment application serving the East African region, especially Rwanda, and HR Analytics, a training platform targeted at HR professionals to assist them in visualizing metrics about their staff and predicting trends.
Meanwhile, The late electoral chief, who served from 2017 to 2023, passed away on February 20 at Nairobi Hospital at the age of 63.
Chebukati had been in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for nearly a week before succumbing to cardiac arrest.
His family later disclosed that he had been battling brain cancer, a diagnosis he received in April 2023, shortly after completing his term at the electoral commission.
Following his diagnosis, he underwent a successful surgery in Germany to remove the tumor. After returning to Kenya in July 2023, the cancer re-emerged in April 2024, necessitating a second operation. He resumed his activities after treatment but faced another recurrence in December 2024, leading to his hospitalization until early 2025.
Despite his health struggles, Chebukati remained actively involved in electoral affairs, participating in international forums up until early 2024. His passing has been met with tributes from colleagues, politicians, and members of the legal fraternity.
Chebukati, a lawyer with 37 years of experience, was a prominent figure in Kenya’s legal and governance landscape. Before joining the IEBC, he co-founded Cootow & Associates Advocates in 2006 and specialized in corporate law, commercial law, and dispute resolution. He resigned from the firm in 2017 upon his appointment as IEBC chair.
During his tenure at the commission, he oversaw the 2017 and 2022 General Elections, navigating complex electoral processes and political challenges. Prior to joining the IEBC, he was involved in politics as a member of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) but resigned before taking up his electoral role.
Beyond his legal and electoral work, Chebukati had a deep passion for golf. He held leadership positions at Nyali and Mombasa Golf Clubs and was a member of the Kenya Golfing Society.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Chebukati, who currently serves as the Chairperson of the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA), and their three children.
