Addis Ababa, 5th July 2017: As the Republic of Kenya prepares to hold General Elections on 8th August 2017, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, has authorized the deployment of the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) to Kenya to observe the country’s general elections scheduled for 8th August 2017.
The deployment of the AUEOM will take place in two phases. The first phase comprises the deployment of 14 Long Term Observers (LTOs). The LTOs have been deployed in Kenya on 3rd July 2017. They will remain on ground until 26th August 2017. This is to ensure that the AUEOM conducts a comprehensive observation and analysis of all relevant aspects of the electoral process in Kenya.
During the second phase of the Mission, the long term experts will to be joined by 60 Short Term Observers (STOs) on 28 July 2017. The STOS will remain in the country until 15th August 2017. The AUEOM to the Republic of Kenya will be headed by H.E. Thabo Mbeki, former President of the Republic of South Africa.
The AUEOM draws its mandate from various African Union shared values instruments, most notably: (a) the 1981 African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights; (b) the African Union Guidelines for Elections Observation and Monitoring Missions (2002); (c) the OUA/AU Declaration on Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa (2002) ; (d) the 2002 Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union; (e) the 2003 African Peer Review Mechanism; and (f) the 2007 African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.

The objectives of the AUEOM are to: (a) provide an accurate and impartial reporting or assessment of the quality of General Elections in the Republic of Kenya slated for 8th August 2017, including the degree to which the conduct of the elections meets regional, continental and international standards for democratic elections; (b) offer recommendations for improvement of future elections based on the findings; and (c) demonstrate AU’s interest to support Kenya’s elections and democratisation process to ensure that the conduct of democratic, credible and peaceful elections contributes to the nurturing and consolidation of democratic governance, peace and stability in Kenya, all of which are critical pre-conditions for sustainable socio-economic development and structural transformation of the country in line with Agenda 2063-The Africa We Want and the global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
For more information:
Mr. Samuel Atuobi, Senior Political/Elections Officer, Department of Political Affairs, African Union Commission (AtuobiS@africa-union.org).

For further information:
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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