Former Sierra Leone President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah to lead Commonwealth Observers for Kenya Elections

The COG for the elections, which are scheduled to take place on 27 December 2007, will be composed of 13 eminent persons drawn from 11 Commonwealth countries.

The Observers will be in Kenya from 18 December to 1 January 2008.

Announcing the composition of the COG, Mr. McKinnon said that mandate of the Group is to “determine in its own judgment whether the elections have been conducted according to the standards for democratic elections to which Kenya has committed itself, with reference to national election related legislation and relevant regional, Commonwealth and other international commitments.”

The COG has been constituted at the invitation of the Government of Kenya. It also follows an Assessment Mission which was in Kenya in October 2007.

The Assessment Mission established that there exists broad support from political parties and civil society for the presence of Commonwealth Observers. The Mission also concluded that there is full freedom of movement for Observers and they will enjoy access to all stages of the process - which is vital if they are to make judgements on its credibility.

The COG will be supported by a staff team from the Commonwealth Secretariat led by Mr Ayodele Oke, who will shortly take up position as the Head of Africa Section in the Political Affairs Division.

The full composition of the COG is:

The Observer Group is to act impartially and independently and shall conduct itself according to the standards expressed in the International Declaration of Principles to which the Commonwealth is a signatory.

For media inquiries, please contact Julius Mucunguzi, Communications Officer and Assistant Spokesperson for Africa on email: j.mucunguzi@commonwealth.int or telephone number +44 78 94 59 35 171 or Mark Stevens, Adviser and Head of Democracy Section, on email: m.stevens@commonwealth.int or telephone 44 (0) 20 7747 6398