Commonwealth Secretariat
  1. Home
  2. What's New
  3. Who We Are
  4. What We Do
    1. Democracy
    2. Economics
    3. Education
    4. Gender
    5. Governance
    6. Health
    7. Human Rights
    8. Law
    9. Small States
    10. Sport
    11. Sustainability
    12. Youth
    13. Millennium Development Goals
    14. Funding
  5. News
    1. Events
    2. News Archive Search
    3. Picture Stories
  6. Media Room
    1. Press Archive Search
    2. Media Contacts
    3. Video
    4. Events
    5. In the Media
    6. Updates
    7. Downloads
  7. Resources
    1. Documents
    2. Image Library
    3. Libary & Archives
    4. Publications
  8. Publications
  9. Employment
  10. FAQs
    1. Acronyms
  11. Contact Us
Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Advance Group of Commonwealth Election Observers arrives in Kenya

29 November 2002

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon has announced the arrival in Kenya of the 'Advance Group' of Commonwealth Observers for the General Election, to be held on 27 December 2002.

The team, which arrived earlier this week, consists of Mr Earl Simpson, Assistant Director of Elections, Jamaican Electoral Office, and Mr Martin Kasirye, Senior Programme Officer, Political Affairs Division, Commonwealth Secretariat.

In Nairobi the Advance Group has met with the Electoral Commission of Kenya. It will observe the campaign, preparations for the election and the overall electoral environment in the next few weeks. The team will in turn brief the main Commonwealth Observer Group when they arrive in December.

The Observer Group has been created in response to an invitation from the Government of Kenya and follows a visit by a Secretariat Assessment Mission to the country earlier this month. The mission confirmed to the Secretary-General that there was broad support from political parties and civil society groups for the presence of Commonwealth Observers. It also established that the Group would have free and open access to polling stations and counting centres and would be free to pursue its mandate.
The full Observer Group will consist of nine eminent persons, supported by six Commonwealth Secretariat staff.

The Observers will be as follows:

Professor Adebayo Adedeji CFR (Chairperson)Executive Director of the African Centre for Development and Strategic Studies,formerly United Nations Under Secretary-General and
Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa
Nigeria

Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan
Chairman, National Electoral Commission
Ghana

Dr Fook Weng Chin
Senator
Malaysia

Ms Segamesti Moatlhaping
Co-ordinator, African Regional Youth Forum
Botswana

Ms Irene Mutsila
Member of Parliament
South Africa

Mr Jayaprakash Narayan
National Co-ordinator, Lok Satta
India

Miss Kaye Oliver CMG OBE
Former High Commissioner
United Kingdom

Mr Earl Simpson
Assistant Director of Elections (Field Operations)
Electoral Office
Jamaica

Ms Loren Wells
Assistant Chief Election Officer
Elections Ontario
Canada


The Commonwealth Secretariat Staff Support Team will be led by Professor Ade Adefuye, Special Adviser in the Political Affairs Division.

Note to Editors :

This will be the 41st Observer Group to have been constituted by the Commonwealth Secretary-General since October 1990 and the second time that the Commonwealth will observe a General Election in Kenya.

The Terms of Reference for the Observer Group are as follows:
"The Group is established by the Commonwealth Secretary-General at the invitation of the Government of Kenya. It is to observe relevant aspects of the organisation and conduct of the General Elections in accordance with the laws of Kenya. It is to consider the various factors impinging on the credibility of the electoral process as a whole and to determine in its own judgement whether the conditions exist for a free expression of will by the electors and if the results of the election reflect the wishes of the people of Kenya.

The Group is to act impartially and independently. It has no executive role; its function is not to supervise but to observe the process as a whole and to form a judgement accordingly. It would also be free to propose to the authorities concerned such action on institutional, procedural and other matters as would assist the holding of such elections.

The Group is to submit its report to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, who will forward it to the Government of Kenya, the Electoral Commission of Kenya, the leadership of the political parties taking part in the election and thereafter to all Commonwealth Governments."

Within the above terms of reference the Group will form an independent judgement which will in no way represent either the views of any government, or of the Secretary-General.

For further inquiries please contact Minelle Fernandez, Communications and Public Affairs Division, Commonwealth Secretariat on +44 (0) 207747 6385.
Share this page
About this

ISSUED BY THE COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIVISION
Commonwealth Secretariat Marlborough House Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HX United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7747 6385/6 Fax: +44 (0)20 7839 9081
Email: info@commonwealth.int