US Dispatches Largest Team of Election Observers to Kenya

Former US Secretary of State John Kerry will be arriving in the country next week to lead in monitoring the August 8th elections, as final preparations enter home stretch period.

Kerry will spearhead the US Observer Mission and will co-lead the Carter Center, a non-profit organization founded by former US President Jimmy Carter.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) have accredited a record 212 non-African observers to monitor the election. 67 of the accredited observers are drawn from the United States, becoming the foreign non-Africa country with the highest number of observer missions.

The number of US observers is three times that of the European Union delegation, which has deployed 22 people to monitor the elections.

Australia, Denmark, Ireland, Finland, Germany, Canada, Switzerland, Great Britain, Norway, Austria, The Kingdom of the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, France, Japan, US-based National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the Carter Centre are other non-Africa countries monitoring the Kenya elections.

The African Union led by former South Africa President Thabo Mbeki, the regional political and trading blocs as well as individual African countries and Kenyan-based groups are also expected to have teams to observe the elections.

US government and US-based organizations’ from Washington will have the highest number of election monitors in the country at 96, according to records from the Electoral Commission.

“It is encouraged that coverage of an observer mission should be as broad as possible, with sufficient observers stationed throughout the country,” IEBC states.

The European Union led by Chief Observer Marietje Schaake has warned of a possibility of post-election violence.

“There are concerns about possible eruption of violence as Kenya head to the polls,” Schaake said during the official launch of the EU election observer mission early this month.