EAC Observers to 2017 Rwanda Presidential Elections flagged off

Posted in Press Release

East African Community Secretariat; Kigali, Rwanda; 31 July 2017:

The Head of the EAC Election Observer Mission (EOM) to the 2017 Rwandan Presidential Election, former Kenyan Vice President Moody Awori, today flagged off 30 Observers who will assess the election in the 30 districts of the country.

Mr. Awori, who flagged off the 10 teams at a Kigali hotel, thanked the people of Rwanda for conducting themselves with maturity in the ongoing election campaigns.

“I trust that you will uphold dignity and peace even on the Election Day and thereafter,” he said.

The former Vice President further said that a transparent and peaceful election will be a plus not just for Rwanda but for the entire EAC region as well.

“The sovereign will of the people expressed through a democratic process is a guarantee for peace, stability and economic growth,” he said, adding that Rwanda had set a good example for the rest of the continent over the past two decades.

“Rwanda is a small country with big ideas but its resilient recovery from a painful past is a remarkable lesson for Africa whose citizens all yearn for peace and development,” he said.

“Your experience shows that with political commitment and sheer determination, there is no limit to humanity’s potential to achieve.”

The EAC has deployed a total of 10 teams of EAC Observers to all Provinces of Rwanda sampling 30 districts to assess the level of preparedness of the elections as well as the polling process.

The Mission will issue a statement of its preliminary findings on the elections on 6th August, 2017 through a press conference with a comprehensive report subsequently being issued by the EAC through its policy organs after the end of the electoral process in Rwanda.

The Rwandan presidential election, which will be held on 4th August, 2017, is will be contested by the incumbent president Paul Kagame of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party and journalist Philippe Mpayimana who is running as an independent candidate.

The EOM comprises 30 short-term observers drawn from the East African Legislative Assembly, national Human Rights Commissions, Electoral Management Bodies, Civil Society, EAC Youth Ambassadors and the Staff of the EAC Secretariat.

The Mission arrived in Kigali on 26th July, 2017 and will remain in the country until 7th August, 2017. It was preceded by a team of election experts from the EAC Partner States who arrived on 16th July, 2017.

The Mission will observe the concluding stages of the election campaigns and engage with various stakeholders as well as observe the voting and counting processes on and after 4th August, 2017.

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For more information, please contact:

Mr Owora Richard Othieno
Head, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department
EAC Secretariat
Arusha, Tanzania
Tel: +255 784 835021
Email: OOthieno [at] eachq.org

About the East African Community Secretariat:

The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of five Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

The EAC Secretariat is ISO 9001: 2008 Certified

The Community mourns Amb. Kiplagat

Posted in Press Release

East African Community Secretariat; Arusha, Tanzania; 14 July 2017:

The Secretary General of the East African Community, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko has conveyed a message of condolence to H.E President Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, following the untimely death of Amb. Bethuel Kiplagat, a career diplomat and distinguished public servant.

In a condolence message signed on his behalf by Hon. Jesca Eriyo, the Deputy Secretary General in charge of Finance and Administration, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko states that “We mourn the passing of a great son of Kenya and East Africa and a towering figure of our time who has left an indelible imprint on the history of the region through his untiring efforts in peace building”.

“The Community notes with pride that the departed diplomat was also actively involved in the peace talks and negotiations that led to the independence of the Republic of South Sudan, EAC’s newest Partner State”.

The condolence message states that when the EAC Heads of State Summit approved the establishment and functioning of the EAC Panel of Eminent Persons in February 2015 to operationalize the East African Community Conflict Prevention and Management Resolution Mechanism, Amb. Kiplagat was among the first to be appointed to the Panel.

“The main task of the Panel is to advise the Summit, the Council and Secretary General on issues related to the promotion and maintenance of peace, security and stability by conducting preventive diplomacy and peaceful resolution of conflicts in the Community”, Amb. Mfumukeko notes in his condolence letter.

“Together with other EAC Eminent Persons, Amb. Kiplagat undertook preventive diplomacy missions to Burundi through participation in various roundtables dialogues and holding one on one consultation with key Burundi stakeholders”.

“The entire Community and I share with You, the bereaved family, and the Government and people of Kenya, the feelings of great loss at this time of deep sorrow”, concludes the condolence message.

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For more information, please contact:

Mr Owora Richard Othieno
Head, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department
EAC Secretariat
Arusha, Tanzania
Tel: +255 784 835021
Email: OOthieno [at] eachq.org

About the East African Community Secretariat:

The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of five Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

The EAC Secretariat is ISO 9001: 2008 Certified