Election Observers: COMESA, National Democratic Institute Sends Delegation To Kenya

COMESA and the National Democratic Institute has deployed election observers to Kenya to oversee next Tuesday’s general election.

COMESA sent a team of 15 observers from eight countries; Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Malawi, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the COMESA secretariat.

The leader of the team is former Zimbabwe Justice Minister Ambassador Simbi Mubako.

COMESA Corporate Communications manager, Mwangi Gakunga, said the team will observe various stages of the election. That would include vote counting and declaration of results.

They also plan to meet key stakeholders including the main political parties, security agencies, IEBC, civil society, media and the Judiciary before the elections to understand their “level of preparedness as well as the political environment”.

Gakunga added that after election day, the team will issue a preliminary statement of its findings, and later present a final report with recommendations for better electoral practices in Kenya.

See Also: EU Election Observation Mission Warn That Kenya Could Be Hit By Post-Election Violence

For the National Democratic Institute, its team comprises of renown election observers including former AU Commissioner for Political Affairs Aisha Abdullahi, US Representative and Ranking Member of the Africa Subcommittee Foreign Affairs Karen Bass and former New Jersey Governor Christine Whitman.

Others are the former chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Election Commission Attahiru Jega and the former Justice for the South African Constitutional Court, Yvoe Mokgoro.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the non-partisan non-profit organization said:

“NDI has supported Kenya’s efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and advance democratic reforms since 1993.”

“As in the past election, NDI will be working in partnership with the Election Observation Group which will deploy over 7,000 citizen election observers across Kenya.”

The organization noted that its assessment will adhere to Kenya’s laws and the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation.

The hotly contested election pits President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is seeking a second and final five-year term against Opposition leader Raila Odinga.