East African Community
PRESS STATEMENT BY LEADER OF EAC ELECTION OBSERVER MISSION TO KENYA’S
GENERAL ELECTION, Hon. Abdurrahman Kinana AT THE MEDIA
LAUNCH
18TH FEBRUARY 2013, HILTON HOTEL
NAIROBI, KENYA
Ladies & Gentlemen of the
Press
Thank
you very much for attending this media briefing called to notify you of the deployment of the EAC Election Observer Mission to the
Kenya General Election 2013. On behalf of
the Mission and on my own behalf, allow me to thank the Government of Kenya for inviting the East African Community to deploy this Mission.
The East African Community is deploying an Election
Observer Mission to the Kenya General Election 2013 from 18th
February – 8th March 2013. The deployment of the EAC Election
Observer Mission to the Kenyan elections is part of EAC’s goal to promote
democratic governance in line with the fundamental principles of the Community.
The Treaty for the Establishment of the East African community Art 6
(d) requires the Partner States to promote good governance through adherence to
the principles of democracy, the rule of law, accountability, transparency,
social justice, equal opportunities, gender equality and protection of human
rights. In addition, Article 3 (3) (b) of the Treaty
requires new applicants who wish to join the Community to exhibit adherence to
the principles of good governance, democracy and rule of law.
The 4th EAC Development Strategy is
very explicit in its strategic interventions to promote democracy and inculcate
a democratic culture in the region. To this end, harmonization of democratic
policies, processes and practices including election observation, evaluation
and enhancing the capacity of key stakeholders including the National Electoral
Commissions are key strategic interventions for the Community.
Most importantly, the
East African Community is the only regional organization on the African
continent that has a clear vision of attaining a political federation. This
calls for strengthening of political processes and setting regional standards
in order to lay a firm foundation for a single political authority.
ObJECTIVES
OF THE MISSION
The overall objective of the EAC Election Observer
Mission is to contribute to the promotion of the conduct of free, fair and
credible elections through an environment that is peaceful and stable. In the
long term, the Mission will contribute to strengthening
political accountability amongst Partner States, provide an avenue for Partner
States to share experiences on election management and facilitate peer learning.
The specific
objectives include:
a) to
observe the electoral process and to offer a balanced and informed assessment
of the elections;
b) to create public confidence in the electoral
processes by encouraging the voters and other stakeholders to
participate freely in an environment that promotes competition and tolerance
without intimidation or violence;
c) to identify challenges, weaknesses, opportunities
and strengths that can be harnessed into best practices for the region through
peer learning by the Electoral
Management Bodies (EMBs);
d) to assess the legitimacy of the electoral processes
and outcome in accordance with internationally accepted standards; and
e) to
make recommendations for strengthening of electoral processes for the benefit
of not only Kenya but for the EAC region as a whole.
Composition of the EAC – EOM Mission
The EAC Mission is composed of 40 members drawn from all EAC Partner
States except from the Republic of Kenya. The Mission will be coordinated by
Hon. Lydia Wanyoto, former Member of the East African legislative Assembly,
from the Republic of Uganda.
The membership of the Mission has been drawn from different but
complementary disciplines. It includes, members of the East African Legislative
Assembly, National Electoral Commissions, National Human Rights Commissions,
and youth representatives from EAC Youth Ambassadors Forum. The nominations are
based on the principle of gender balance and youth involvement.
The
Mission’s mandate is to observe and consider all aspects of the electoral
process, assess whether the elections are conducted according to the standards
for democratic elections to which the country has committed itself. The Team is
also expected to make recommendations for future strengthening of the electoral
processes and enhancing the capacity of Electoral Management Bodies in Kenya
and in the whole of East Africa.
The
EAC’s Observer Mission will be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of
Principles for International Election Observation and Code of Conduct, adopted
at the United Nations in 2005. The Mission will assess the electoral process
based on Kenya's national legal framework and its obligations for democratic
elections contained in regional and international agreements and more
specifically, the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community.
The
Team will observe the campaign activities, media
coverage, examine the legislative framework and its implementation, segments of
the election administration where responsibility lies with different government
bodies, and the mechanisms in place for resolution of election disputes, among
others.
The
Mission will meet and consult with representatives of diverse stakeholders
including political parties, civil society organizations, diplomatic missions,
international community, media as well as with candidates, and with
representatives from civil society.
The
Mission is expected to exercise professionalism and neutrality in order to be able
to make credible and informed assessment of the electoral process.
EAC AND COMESA COORDINATED DEPLOYMENT
In an effort to take advantage of the multiple memberships in regional
organizations, the East African Community will join forces with COMESA in
having a coordinated deployment of Election Observation Mission to Kenya. This
initiative is based on the need to maximize utilization of available resources,
have a big pool of observers and coordinate submission of information from the
observers from the field.
This initiative facilitates a wide coverage of the Republic of Kenya,
enhance the credibility of the assessment and improve the quality of the
report.
STRENGTHENING DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES IN EAC
The East African Community has enunciated a vibrant
programme on promoting good governance in regional integration. The programme
engages different political stakeholders and institutions of governance at
national levels with a view to improving their capacity. This led to the
establishment of the EAC Forum of National Electoral Commissions that provides
a regional platform for sharing of experiences, challenges and good practices
in the management of elections. In order to consolidate the gains made by
individual Partner States and address common challenges to democratic
governance and electoral processe, a decision was reached to also develop the EAC
Principles for Election Observation and Evaluation, the instrument that has
guided the structuring of the EAC Election Observer Mission to Kenya.
Detailed reports of the EAC Election Observer
Missions are discussed by the EAC Forum of Electoral Commissions with a view to
mapping out common strategies in addressing some of the challenges through a
peer learning and self-criticism by the Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs).
This facilitates a self-reflection by EMBs within
the wider framework of improving democratic and political governance to
complement the regional integration agenda. It is for the same reason that the
report of the EAC-EOM, once adopted and published is considered by the Council
and officially submitted to the host Partner State urging for implementation of
the recommendations. With the follow up mechanism on review of progress in implementing
Council decisions, and through the Forum of Electoral Commissions, the
recommendations of the Observer Mission will receive adequate attention.
Conclusion
The
EAC takes this opportunity to wish the people of Kenya free, fair, and peaceful
elections. Observer Missions can only accompany the process. Kenyans will
determine how to express their democratic rights under a new, vibrant political
dispensation. We look forward to elections that strengthen and advance the
democratic culture in East Africa, and that contribute to the peace, security
and stability that East Africans enjoy.
Finally, I appeal to the media as the Fourth Estate to play its right role and
report objectively at this time of elections in Kenya.
I thank you all for
listening to me.
No comments:
Post a Comment