Wafula Chebukati used to be in charge of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in Kenya. After the big election in 2022, he decided to travel around the world. He wanted to share what he knew about running elections and being a good leader.
From May 2023 to early 2024, Mr. Chebukati visited many different countries. He talked about how important it is to have trustworthy elections and tried to strengthen democracy in these places.
Mr. Chebukati told the people who run elections in other countries that they need to ensure fair and honest elections. He said it's important for them to work together with other people, too.
Mr. Chebukati finished his job at the IEBC on January 18. He had worked there for six years, which is how long he was supposed to. He thanked the people of Kenya for letting him serve them. He said it was a hard job, but he did his best.
Sadly, Mr. Chebukati died on Thursday night. In the last year of his life, he didn't do much in public, but he did have a few private events that people knew about.
Mr. Chebukati really cared about making elections fair and honest. He thought using technology in elections was important. These ideas were very important to him in his last days.
In November 2023, he attended a big meeting in Cape Town, South Africa. It was the 25th anniversary of a group called the Electoral Commissions Forum of Southern African Development Community (ECF-SADC). Mr. Chebukati gave a speech there. He said that following the law is the most important thing for ensuring people trust elections.
At the meeting, Mr. Chebukati talked with other African leaders who work on elections. One of them was Justice Mwambegele from Tanzania. They discussed how African countries can work together to improve elections.
Earlier in November, Mr. Chebukati went to Abidjan in Ivory Coast. He gave a talk at the 2023 ECONEC Symposium. He talked about how the IEBC improved elections in Kenya, even when they were difficult.
That same month, he also went to Lisbon, Portugal, to attend the 19th International Electoral Affairs Symposium. He talked about how Kenya used technology in the 2022 elections, showing a video of him announcing the results of the presidential election on August 15, 2022. He asked if technology can stop people from doing bad things.
Mr. Chebukati went to Portugal because some groups invited him. They were the International Centre for Parliamentary Studies (ICPS) and the Portuguese Electoral Commission. People from all over the world who work on elections came to the meeting. They shared ideas about how to make elections better in over 120 countries.
The IEBC did a really good job. They won a big prize at the meeting, the Election Management Award, and came in second place for another prize, the Election Ergonomic Award.
In July of the same year, Mr. Chebukati gave a talk at a meeting of the Electoral Integrity Project (EIP). He talked about how technology helped make elections better in Kenya. The EIP is a group that works to make elections around the world stronger and fairer.
On December 4, 2023, Mr. Chebukati said he was happy that he got to travel all over the world that year. He said he shared what he knew about running elections and being a leader. He wanted everyone to work together to make democracy better.
From May 2023 to early 2024, Mr. Chebukati visited many different countries. He talked about how important it is to have trustworthy elections and tried to strengthen democracy in these places.
Mr. Chebukati told the people who run elections in other countries that they need to ensure fair and honest elections. He said it's important for them to work together with other people, too.
Mr. Chebukati finished his job at the IEBC on January 18. He had worked there for six years, which is how long he was supposed to. He thanked the people of Kenya for letting him serve them. He said it was a hard job, but he did his best.
Sadly, Mr. Chebukati died on Thursday night. In the last year of his life, he didn't do much in public, but he did have a few private events that people knew about.
Mr. Chebukati really cared about making elections fair and honest. He thought using technology in elections was important. These ideas were very important to him in his last days.
In November 2023, he attended a big meeting in Cape Town, South Africa. It was the 25th anniversary of a group called the Electoral Commissions Forum of Southern African Development Community (ECF-SADC). Mr. Chebukati gave a speech there. He said that following the law is the most important thing for ensuring people trust elections.
At the meeting, Mr. Chebukati talked with other African leaders who work on elections. One of them was Justice Mwambegele from Tanzania. They discussed how African countries can work together to improve elections.
Earlier in November, Mr. Chebukati went to Abidjan in Ivory Coast. He gave a talk at the 2023 ECONEC Symposium. He talked about how the IEBC improved elections in Kenya, even when they were difficult.
That same month, he also went to Lisbon, Portugal, to attend the 19th International Electoral Affairs Symposium. He talked about how Kenya used technology in the 2022 elections, showing a video of him announcing the results of the presidential election on August 15, 2022. He asked if technology can stop people from doing bad things.
Mr. Chebukati went to Portugal because some groups invited him. They were the International Centre for Parliamentary Studies (ICPS) and the Portuguese Electoral Commission. People from all over the world who work on elections came to the meeting. They shared ideas about how to make elections better in over 120 countries.
The IEBC did a really good job. They won a big prize at the meeting, the Election Management Award, and came in second place for another prize, the Election Ergonomic Award.
In July of the same year, Mr. Chebukati gave a talk at a meeting of the Electoral Integrity Project (EIP). He talked about how technology helped make elections better in Kenya. The EIP is a group that works to make elections around the world stronger and fairer.
On December 4, 2023, Mr. Chebukati said he was happy that he got to travel all over the world that year. He said he shared what he knew about running elections and being a leader. He wanted everyone to work together to make democracy better.
