AU launches August polls observatory mission
Ellen Dingani, leader of the African Union observatory mission in Kenya delegation.
Representatives of the African Union are already in Kenya to monitor the August 9 elections, which are a little over two weeks away.
They have been deployed in different parts of the country, said Ellen Dingani, the head of the delegation.
“We have brought these stakeholders to understand the steps [Kenyan agencies] are taking to mitigate special risks ahead of the General Election,” Ms Dingani said.
She said this year’s elections are “highly contested” and involving diplomatic missions will help maintain peace during and after the polls.
“We have diplomatic missions in Kenya who will be watching over this election. This is a hotly contested election [and] we will work with all parties involved to ensure that there is a peaceful election,” she added.
She spoke during a panel discussion with representatives of state agencies involved in the electoral process.
One of them was the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP), which urged Parliament to enact laws regulating nominations.
Registrar of Political Parties Ann Nderitu cited cases of violence during primaries.
“From the recently concluded party nominations, we noted with concern cases of violence … We understand that party nominations play a critical role in the election process and it is for this reason that we request that proper laws and regulations be put in place to guide the process from now on,” Ms Nderitu said.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) also sounded the alarm over violence targeting women candidates.
“There has been an increase in the number of cases, especially those targeting women candidates in this election,” the KNCHR said.
“We have also deployed our teams to monitor campaigns. The information they collect is sent to our office and later analysed to inform our view on the current general election.”
A representative of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) said the lack of adequate resources hinders it from performing its functions well.
“We usually have a budget as a commission and we want people to understand that election is a process. In most cases, the government releases the funds in the last year of the elections, which is not good. We want them to [disburse] the amount on a yearly basis,” said Mr Rasi Masudi, IEBC director voter education.
The African Union mission is made up of delegates from the common market Comesa, Intergovernmental Authority on Development and East African Community.
