A High-Level Panel of Eminent African Jurists has arrived in Kenya to monitor the Supreme Court’s hearing on the presidential election petition for 2022.
The jurists are African Judges and Jurists Forum members (AJJF).
The Rtd Chief Justice of the Republic of Tanzania, Hon. Justice Mohammed Chande Othman, leads the 2022 Trial Observation Mission.
Other members of the delegation include Hon. Lady Justice Lillian Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza of the Supreme Court of Uganda, Hon. Lady Justice Ivy Kamanga of Malawi’s Supreme Court of Appeal, Justice Moses Chinhengo of Lesotho’s Court of Appeal, and Justice Henry Boissie Mbha of South Africa’s Electoral Court.
The eminent jurists will attend all Supreme Court hearings, monitor and document the presidential election petition in accordance with international human rights standards of fair trial standards, examine the role and independence of the judiciary in examining electoral disputes, and review the socio-political climate in the run-up to the Petition.
The observers will produce a comprehensive report at the conclusion of the trial observation in order to contribute to a more professional, independent, impartial, and accountable Judiciary, a more independent legal profession, and better adherence to the rule of law and international legal standards concerning the resolution of electoral disputes.
The Observation Mission will include bilateral meetings with the Petition’s Parties, including the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP), and the Attorney General, prior to the hearings.
The meetings are intended to introduce eminent jurists to the Petition’s stakeholders and make them aware of the process and its modalities.
