Former President Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta has landed a new role as the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) ahead of the General Election in Nigeria.
Nigeria is set to hold its General Elections on February 25, 2023.
The AUEOM is a short-term election observation mission consisting of ninety (90) members drawn from various AU Member States.
The team includes representatives of election management bodies, civil society organizations, independent experts, women and youth, as well as AU Organs such as the Pan African Parliament and Permanent Representatives Committee.
Kenyatta’s main goal is to guide the team in giving an accurate and unbiased evaluation of the Nigerian electoral process.
This involves keeping an eye on how closely the elections’ conduct adheres to national, continental, and international norms for democratic elections.
As a result of its findings, the Uhuru-led team will also make suggestions for future elections and show how the AU is committed to consolidating democracy, peace, stability, and prosperity in Nigeria.
The AUEOM will interact with numerous stakeholders as part of its observation process in Nigeria and watch the elections.
This initiative by the AU is expected to further promote democratic principles and transparency in Nigeria’s electoral process while providing an opportunity for African nations to showcase their commitment to good governance, democracy, and the rule of law.
This latest appointment will throw Kenyatta back in to the murky environment of elections, which he just came from in Kenya’s General Election of August 9, 2022.
The former head of state continues to be infuencial in Africa, also serving as the AU-Kenya Peace Envoy and Facilitator of the EAC-Led Nairobi Peace Process.
He has been heavily involved in efforts to restore peace in conflict areas in EAC such as in DRC and Ethiopia.
However the former Kenyan president recently missed a key summit in Bujumbura that aimed to resolve the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC.
The event, which was attended by several heads of state, was meant to broker a ceasefire in the troubled region.
President Evariste Ndayishimiye had called the summit in the hopes of finding a solution to the ongoing crisis.
Despite being a heads of state summit, his absence raised eyebrows. However, Kenyatta’s office was quick to provide an explanation, citing logistical challenges.
