Nairobi, 23 October 2017 –H.E Mr.Thabo Mbeki, former President of the Republic of South Africa has arrived in Nairobi today, 23 October 2017. He is the Head of the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) to the Fresh Presidential Election in the Republic of Kenya, which are scheduled to take place on 26 October 2017. The AUEOM is in the country at the invitation of the Government of Kenya and the Independent Elections and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). Being present in Kenya since 29 September 2017, the AUEOM is comprised of a core team of five thematic experts and 40 short term observers (STOs). The STO will remain in Kenya until 1st Nov. 2017, while the core team of experts will be in the country until 9 November, 2017. The AUEOM has concluded a two-day briefing programme for its STOs in Nairobi. The purpose of the briefing was to provide information on the political context of the fresh elections and the state of preparedness of the IEBC and other national stakeholders, as well as a refresher session on AU election observation methodology, including the use of technology to collect and analayse data in the field. AU observers will be deployed to selected counties to observe election day and results aggregation. The AUEOM will release a statement on its preliminary findings on the fresh elections at a press conference after the election. The deployment of AUEOM to the fresh presidential election in Kenya is in line with the AU’s mandate of promoting and deepening democracy on the continent, as enshrined in a) the African Union Guidelines for Elections Observation and Monitoring Missions (2002); (b) the OUA/AU Declaration on Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa (2002); African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (1981) and (c) African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (2007), among other relevant AU instruments. It is also in line with the third aspiration of the AU Agenda 2063 which aims to ensure good governance, democracy, and respect for human rights, justice and rule of law on the continent. For media enquiry and interview requests:
Ms.Afrah Thabit| Directorate of Information and Communication| African Union Commission| E-mail: thabitma@africa-union.org | Cell: + For further information contact 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 Follow us Face book: https://www.facebook.com/AfricanUnionCommission Twitter: https://twitter.com/_AfricanUnion YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/AUCommission Learn more at: http://www.au.int