By Spy Uganda Correspondent
In response to an invitation by the Republic of Kenya, the European Union has decided to deploy an EU Election Observation Mission (EOM) to the general elections scheduled for 9 August 2022.
Josep Borrell, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission (HR/VP), has appointed Mr Ivan Štefanec, Member of the European Parliament, as Chief Observer for this mission. The EU previously also deployed Election Observation Missions to Kenya for the 2002, 2007, 2013, and 2017 elections.
High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell stated: “The forthcoming general elections in Kenya will be crucial – for citizens to determine what future lies ahead; for electoral stakeholders to showcase their commitment to democracy, with fair competition among candidates in peaceful elections; and for the region at large to promote stability. The EU welcomes the invitation by the Government of Kenya to observe these elections. EU and Kenya share an important and strong relationship, and I am looking forward to the further concretization of the EU-Kenya strategic dialogue that I have launched during my visit to Nairobi in January 2022.”
The Chief Observer Mr Ivan Štefanec said: “I am honored to have been entrusted with the responsibility of leading this EU Election Observation Mission and will be looking forward to engaging with representatives of state institutions, political parties and candidates, civil society organizations, media and others that are playing important roles in the ongoing electoral process.”
The Core Team of the EU EOM consists of 12 election experts and arrived in Nairobi on 27 June. On 9 July, 48 Long-Term Observers will join the mission to be deployed across the country to follow the electoral campaign. Thereafter, 48 Sort-Term Observers will join the mission around election day to observe the polling, voting and counting. Other Short-Term Observers recruited from the EU diplomatic community as well as Canada, Norway and Switzerland will also reinforce the mission during election day. The EU EOM will remain in the country until the completion of the electoral process.
Following the EU election observation methodology, the mission will issue a preliminary statement and hold a press conference in Nairobi after the elections. The final report, which will include a set of recommendations for future electoral processes, will be presented and shared with stakeholders after the finalization of the entire electoral process.
