NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 4 – At least 18, 000 local and international election observers will monitor next Tuesday’s high-stake general election.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) revealed on Thursday that already it has processed the clearance of 10, 000 observers.
“As a Commission, we have the duty and responsibility to ensure that observation missions are part of our electoral process. It is indeed our constitutional requirement,” Chebukati said adding that the application of the remaining 8, 000 observers will be cleared before Election Day.
Chebukati revealed that close to 1, 300 international observers will monitor the polls while the rest are local.
“We have more observers than the number of candidates who are participating in this year’s election,” Chebukati said.
The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) is among the international organization that has deployed a delegation to observe the polls.
Former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete will head the 52-member East African Community (EAC) election observation mission to Kenya.
The observers were taken through what will be needed of them during Election Day.
Around 22 million registered voters will head to the polls on Tuesday to choose their fifth President.
Four candidates are vying for the top job, with a tight race between frontrunners Deputy President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who enjoys the backing of President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Others are lawyers David Mwaure and George Wajackoyah the latter an eccentric former spy who wants to legalize marijuana
The leading contenders are familiar faces: Odinga, 77, served as prime minister from 2008 to 2013, and Ruto, 55, became deputy president in 2013.
But Ruto — long cast as President Uhuru Kenyatta’s successor — saw his ambitions thwarted when his boss shook hands with longtime rival Odinga in 2018.
Kenyatta, who has served two terms and cannot run again, has thrown his weight behind Odinga for August 9, giving him access to the ruling Jubilee party’s powerful election machinery.
The handshake however dealt a blow to Odinga’s anti-establishment credentials, prompting suggestions he had effectively bartered away his autonomy in exchange for Kenyatta’s support.
Kenyans will also choose senators, governors, lawmakers, woman representatives, and some 1,500 county officials.
