President William Ruto has ordered the renaming of Sabata Secondary School in Trans Nzoia County after former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson Wafula Chebukati.
Speaking at Chebukati’s burial in Kiminini Constituency on Saturday, March 8, Ruto directed the area Member of Parliament Maurice Kakai to ensure the change of the institution’s name in honour of the deceased.
Addressing the mourners, the head of state also announced that the government would finance the construction of 15 new classrooms at the school.
“For this reason, I concur with your area MP that the name of the nearby school be changed, and I will coordinate the construction of 15 new classrooms at the institution,” Ruto announced.
According to the president, the school will also receive a new Information Communication Technology (ICT) hub in commemoration of Chebuati’s outstanding job at IEBC, where he utilised technology to ensure electoral credibility.
Ruto reiterated that despite threats on Chebukati’s life by a group of senior government officials from the past regime, the former IEBC Chairperson maximised his immense knowledge in ICT to ensure the 2022 election was fair and open for all Kenyans.
“The classrooms will be built alongside the ICT hubs you mentioned because Chebukati used computer knowledge to ensure the integrity of the Kenyan elections," the president declared.
“For the first time, we had something to make the elections as open as it was because of technology; you can take it from me that we will construct the classrooms in honour of Chebukati,” he added.
Meanwhile, the head of state, while mourning the former IEBC Chairperson, termed the deceased a history-maker, a groundbreaker, and a Kenyan hero who put the country first.
According to Ruto, Chebukati was a courageous, firm, and independent-minded individual whose integrity was manifested during the 2022 general elections.
"A great man, Wafula Chebukati, has rested. Decent and diligent, Chebukati leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of distinguished service to the public. Goodbye, Chairman!" President Ruto noted.
During the burial ceremony, Ruto also emphasised the government's commitment to addressing the challenges in the Social Health Authority (SHA). He went ahead to exude his confidence in Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa's efforts to resolve the health crisis in the country.
"I promise you we are going to succeed because we know what we are doing. The number of people who have registered for SHA is currently at 21 million because even the jobless Kenyans have been included in the new health scheme," Ruto emphasised.
