The Star (Nairobi)

Kenya: Banda to Lead 60-Member Observer Team

Photo: The Star
President Mwai Kibaki shakes hands with Premier Raila Odinga as the former UN Secretary General Kofi Anan looks on, on February 29, 2008.

Former Zambian President Rupiah Banda will lead the Carter Centre election observer mission. In a statement to the press yesterday, the Centre said Banda will lead a 60-member delegation representing 29 nations.

"President Banda and Carter's vice president John Stremlau will meet with key stakeholders including the IEBC, political parties, independent candidates, civil society organizations, and the international community, and will observe polling, counting, and tabulation on election day," said the statement.

In its first observation report, the Centre raised concerns at the exclusion of certain groups of eligible voters from the voter register and the shortcomings in the voter education exercise but hailed the legal mechanisms put in place ahead of Monday's election.

It urged the IEBC to address technical issues that arose during the recent polling simulation to ensure a smooth voting process on election day. The statement said its observers have found the electoral campaign generally peaceful thus far, except for isolated cases.

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