Arrival Statement by HE Dr Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group for Kenya Elections

We are pleased to be here in Kenya to observe these elections.

The presence of the Commonwealth Observer Group follows the invitation Commonwealth Secretary- General Don McKinnon received from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kenya.

The Secretary-General then constituted the Group and requested me to lead it. This was after a Commonwealth Mission to Kenya in October this year which assessed the pre-electoral environment and concluded that there was broad support for our presence from political parties and the civil society.

It is my honour and privilege to have been asked to lead this Commonwealth Observer Group comprised of eminent personalities drawn from 11 Commonwealth countries.

Kenya is a valued member of the Commonwealth, and we hope that our presence to observe this important election will make a positive contribution to strengthening democracy in the country.

It is important that these elections are peaceful and credible.Our task is to observe and report on relevant aspects of the organisation and conduct of the elections. The Group will consider all the factors impinging on the credibility of the electoral process as a whole, and determine whether or not the elections have been conducted according to the standards for democratic elections to which Kenya has committed itself, with reference to national election-related legislation and relevant regional, Commonwealth, and other international commitments.
In conducting our duties and undertaking our assessment we will be neutral, impartial, objective and independent. Our function is not to supervise, but to observe the process as a whole and form a judgment accordingly. Our comments will be constructive, with the intent to help strengthen the democratic process in the country for the future.Commonwealth Observers are invited in their individual capacities as eminent Commonwealth citizens. The assessment by the Group will be its own and not that of respective member governments or of the Commonwealth Secretariat.We met the Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) yesterday, who gave us a briefing about the preparations for the election.

We will meet representatives of political parties, civil society, Commonwealth diplomats and media, as well as representatives of other international observer groups in order to consider the broadest range of perspectives and concerns.
Members of the Group will then travel to different provinces and observe the concluding days of the campaign and thereafter the voting, counting and results processes. Following this, the Group will reconvene to compile our final and comprehensive report prior to departure.This Final Report will contain our main findings and conclusions as well as any recommendations we may have to strengthen the electoral process. It will be submitted to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, who in turn will forward it to the Government of Kenya, ECK, political parties and then to all Commonwealth Governments.

The report will thereafter be made available more widely as well as being placed on the website of the Commonwealth Secretariat.


Nairobi, Kenya, 20 December 2007.