Jakaya Kikwete, the former Tanzania President who was also the leader of the delegation for the East African Community Observers Mission in Kenya Polls said that the situation on 9th August which was the election day in Kenya was generally calm, peaceful, orderly and it satisfied them as the observation body.
According to Kikwete, most polling stations opened on time, though they were a few that opened up late for various reasons including the late arrivals of polling materials.
“We were pleased to note that the time lost was compensated by the late closure of polls in the concerned polling stations” Kikwete added.
Kikwete was addressing a press conference in Nairobi about the Mission’s observations of their preliminary report on Thursday.
Speaking for the team that consisted of 43 East African Community citizens, Kikwete also noted that the mission observed a high level of competence and professionalism from the polling officials and they commended the International Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for involving young people especially women in the management of the electoral process.
Monitoring over 200 polling stations, the mission noted that there was a successful use of technology in voter registration, identification, and transmission of results because it has increased the efficiency and increased transparency of the electoral process in Kenya though they were challenges in using the KIMS kits.
The Election Observers Mission consisted of nationals from the East African Legislative Assembly, National Parliaments, National Youth Council, Civil Society Organizations, and East African Youth ambassadors but with no national of the country conducting elections.
The mission also noted that they were problems associated with social media that included miss information, disinformation, and hate speech but it commended the mainstream media for the important contribution it made in addressing these challenges and also for the wonderful work done on voter education and coverage of the electoral process.
The IEBC was commended for the remarkable improvements made in regards to preparations, transparency, and management of the 2022 elections generally but it recommended that in the future there should be better communication between the IEBC and various stakeholders.
The Observation Mission appealed to all political actors and stakeholders including the nationals to continue to maintain peace after the results are declared and also implored peaceful resolution of disputes that may arise from the electoral process.
The IEBC has seven days within the law to declare the elected presidential candidate and the major contest is between Deputy President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
