Is Chebukati Alive

A photograph that appears to show the former chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission of Kenya (IEBC), Wafula Chebukati, in hospital is doing the rounds on Facebook.

In the picture, he can be seen smiling at the camera as a nurse tends to him.

Elections in the country are organised by the IEBC.

The image has been posted on various pages and Facebook groups, all with the same basic statement, namely that Chebukati is ill. Some of the captions include:

IEBC former president Wafula Chebukati being flown to Germany for treatment.

The former IEBC president, Wafula Chebukati, has been transferred from Nairobi Hospital to Aga Khan University Hospital. It is believed that the former IEBC president is suffering from an unknown illness.

Let us wish Wafula Chebukati a speedy recovery.

As IEBC chairman, Mr Chebukati faced controversy, particularly from supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga. 

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He supervised the August 2022 general elections, in which Mr Odinga and Kenyan President William Ruto were the main candidates. 

Mr Ruto was declared the winner by the former president, but Mr Odinga challenged the results in court, claiming that the elections had been rigged.

The Kenyan Supreme Court, however, rejected the allegations of electoral fraud. However, Odinga led demonstrations across the country to challenge the legitimacy of Ruto and his government. He went so far as to call for Chebukati to be prosecuted.

Doubts about the integrity of the election continue to be raised on social media, with frequent rumours that Chebukati is seriously ill or dead.