KIKWETE URGES KENYANS TO OBSERVE ELECTION RULES

With a week to the August 9th polls in Kenya, repeated calls are being made for a free, fair and credible elections there.

Former Tanzania President Jakaya who is leading  an Election Observer Mission from the East African Community (EAC) insists compliance to the election rules.

He said the management of the polls must meet the established international, regional and national laws,principles and practices.

Mr.Kikwete made the appeal in Nairobi on Monday during the launching of a 52- member EAC Election Observer Mission to the Kenyan polls.

The mission will be in Kenya from August 1st to August 12th to observe the  upcoming General Elections in Kenya to be held on Tuesday next week (August 9th).

The observers are drawn from key governance and independent institutions and civil society organizations from the EAC partner states.

"We are here to assess the level of preparedness of the key electoral stakeholders for this election", he said during the launch at a Nairobi hotel.

.

Mr.Kikwete further said that the EAC Observer Mission will assess the adherence to the democratic principles of the EAC as enshrined in the Treaty.

“We are committed to offer objective recommendations for continuous improvement for the conduct of this

general election,” he pointed out.

The mission will build on the outcomes of the Joint African Union/EAC/IGAD/COMESA pre-election

assessment conducted over the past one month.

The mandate of the mission includes meeting with the key stakeholders such as the officials of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

The EAC will then announce the findings of the mission through an Interim Statement to be released to the public on 11th August,2022 two days after vote casting.

The EAC´s mandate to observe elections in partner states is governed by the Treaty and the EAC Principles for the Observation and Evaluation of Elections.

“As a region, we have a conviction that regional observation is critical to enhancing the credibility of the elections", remarked the secretary general Peter Mathuki.

He reaffirmed EAC´s commitment to strengthen governance and enhance the culture of democracy "as a fundamental principle of the Community".

Kenya will go to polls with the deputy president William Ruto battling neck to neck against the veteran Opposition Leader Raila Odinga for presidency.

Other presidential hopefuls are David Mwaure who is vying for the seat on Agano party ticket and Prof George Wajackoyah who is seeking presidency on the Roots Party.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, who has been in power since 2013, will be stepping down after the end of his tenure

This will be Kenya's 7th election after returning to multipartism in 1991.

However, it was only in 2002 when the political party in power -then Kanu -was defeated by a coalition of the opposition parties.

With the presidential race heating up to an extent of polarizing the country, there had been calls to ensure the polls were devoid of chaos.