The African Union (AU) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) deployed their electoral observation mission to Kenya on Thursday, where the vote will take place on August 9 to elect a new head of state. and renew the deputies in parliament.
The AU-COMESA mission is made up of 900 members drawn from governments, member states, the Pan-African Parliament, civil society organizations as well as election management bodies in Africa. It is led by the former president of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma.
“The mission will demonstrate the joint efforts of the two organizations to promote peaceful, free, fair, transparent and credible elections that will strengthen Kenya’s democratic process,” Mr. Koroma said.
The joint AU-COMESA mission would like to carry out an “impartial and independent assessment” of the Kenyan electoral process, “in accordance with the provisions of the international norms and principles to which the two organizations have subscribed”, explained Mr. Koroma.