Botswana ex-president to head Commonwealth observer group
Former Botswana President Festus Mogae who has been appointed by the Commonwealth to lead its observer group for Kenya’s August 9 elections.
The Commonwealth has appointed former Botswana president Festus Mogae to lead its observer group for Kenya’s August 9 elections.
In a statement Tuesday, the organisation said Mr Mogae will lead a 20-person team to observe the elections following an invitation by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said in a statement that the decision follows a visit to Kenya by a Commonwealth pre-election assessment team in April.
“Election observation is an essential component of our efforts to support member countries to strengthen the processes, culture, and institutions of democracy, and to enable citizen participation and representation at all levels,” Ms Scotland said.
“I am grateful to Mr Mogae and all observers for accepting this important assignment, as we continue to promote and protect electoral democracy – and the right of individuals to participate in processes which shape their societies through credible, inclusive, and transparent elections – in line with the Commonwealth Charter.”
She noted that an advance team from the Commonwealth would arrive in Kenya on July 16 ahead of the team’s coming to meet key stakeholders, including the election management body, political parties, civil society groups, the media, and other international observers.
They will travel across the country to build a comprehensive picture on the conduct of the process and to observe the campaign and the electoral preparations, she noted.
Ms Scotland said the chair and observers were given the mandate to observe and consider the factors affecting the credibility of the electoral process as a whole.
Democratic elections
They will also judge whether elections have been conducted according to the standards for democratic elections to which Kenya has committed itself, including legislation and relevant regional, commonwealth and international commitments.
The Commonwealth Observer Group will arrive in Nairobi on August 2 and will be supported by a team from the Commonwealth Secretariat, led by Deputy Secretary-General Dr Arjoon Suddhoo.
Commonwealth Observer Groups are independent and autonomous and are normally chaired by a former head of government or senior political figure.
They comprise eminent persons from a range of fields, including electoral commissioners, parliamentarians, and legal, gender, human rights and media experts.
Members are drawn from all regions of the Commonwealth and are appointed in their individual capacities.
Members of the Commonwealth Observer Group include Mr Mogae (chairperson), Dr Anne Gallagher (director-general of the Commonwealth Foundation in Australia), Mr Darrell Bradley (former mayor of Belize City in Belize), Dr Simon Munzu (former UN deputy special representative for Côte d'Ivoire), Hon Halifa Sallah (former member of Gambia’s parliament), Mr Jerald Joseph (former member of the Human Rights Commission in Malaysia) and Dr Evarist Bartolo (former Malta foreign minister).
The others are Maryan Street (former minister of housing, New Zealand), Ms Idayat Hassan (director, Centre for Democracy and Development in Nigeria), Prof Attahiru Jega (former chairman, the Independent National Electoral Commission, Nigeria), Ms Nighat Dad (founder and executive director of the Digital Rights Foundation, Pakistan), Mrs Marcella Samba-Sesay (chairperson, National Election Watch, Sierra Leone) and Prof Mandla Mchunu (former chief election officer, South Africa).
Also on the team are Dr Victor Shale (elections and governance expert, South Africa), Ms Fern Narcis-Scope (chief election officer, Elections and Boundaries Commission, Trinidad and Tobago), Justice James Ogoola (former principal judge of the high court, Uganda), Ms Zeinab Badawi (broadcaster and president of the School of Oriental and African Studies, United Kingdom), Baroness Denise Kingsmill (member of the House of Lords, United Kingdom), Mr Mark Stephens CBE (lawyer, United Kingdom) and Dr Chaloka Beyani (professor of law, London School of Economics, Zambia).
