Chaos, gun threat- Chebukati’s wife recounts final hours before Ruto was declared president
“When he came home, he told me he saw a man point a gun at him, but the security pushed him down and took him away,” she said.
Mary Wanyonyi, wife of former IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati, has recounted the tense and frightening moments before her husband announced the 2022 presidential election results.
Speaking during her husband’s funeral in Kiminini, she described how fear and anxiety gripped their family as Chebukati prepared to make the critical announcement at the Bomas of Kenya on August 15, 2022. She recalled how he had been receiving unsettling phone calls that left him worried.
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"He was worried about the calls he was receiving. I asked him who was calling, and he told me it was Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit. I asked the bishop to come, and they came home with 13 others and prayed for him," she said.
Mary recounted that just before leaving for Bomas, Archbishop Ole Sapit had asked Chebukati to help with gate clearance for religious leaders at the tallying center. This led to a group of 14 clergy arriving at their home, where she asked them to pray for her husband.
“In a moment, 14 religious leaders had arrived, and I asked them to pray for my husband. I offered them tea as he was dressing up, and after prayers, there was a procession to Bomas,” she recalled.
Chaos at Bomas, unanswered calls
Mary revealed that as violence broke out at Bomas, she tried calling her husband multiple times, but the calls went unanswered.
Desperate for information, she reached out to several individuals, including church leaders, for reassurance about his safety.
“I was lucky to get Bishop David Oginde, whom I asked if my husband was okay. I reminded him that he was a man of God and should, therefore, tell me the truth. He assured me that my husband was fine,” she said.
At Bomas, tension escalated into chaos as people threw chairs and engaged in physical fights while security officers struggled to restore order.
Anti-riot police formed a protective shield around Chebukati as objects were hurled in his direction.
As the situation worsened, Mary said she reached out to Citizen TV journalist Sam Gituku, hoping to get firsthand information about what was happening at the tallying center.
Earlier that day, a standoff had emerged between IEBC commissioners, with four of them holding a parallel press conference at a hotel in Nairobi to dispute the results. Despite the turmoil, Chebukati proceeded to Bomas, where he was met with hostility from various quarters.
Later that evening, Chebukati confided in his wife that he believed the prayers had provided divine intervention.
“When he came home, he told me he saw a man point a gun at him, but the security pushed him down and took him away,” she said.
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