EU calls for improved presidential polls in Kenya

The European Union (EU) has urged the Kenyan electoral commission to conduct to provide for successful presidential polls next month.

The EU has recommended that the commission develop more transparent procedures for counting, tallying and results transmissions. Kenya is preparing for fresh presidential elections next month after the Supreme Court nullified the August polls.

The European Union termed this month’s Supreme Court ruling as a display of the judiciary’s independence and called on all sides of the political divide to respect the ruling and the country’s independent institutions.

Ahead of the fresh polls, the EU, which last month said it had not seen evidence of manipulation of electoral systems during the August polls, has made 18 recommendations ahead of the fresh polls set for October 17th.

It recommends reforms in the counting, tallying and transmission of results including testing of procedures well ahead of the polls. The EU says the reforms will help Kenyans rebuild their confidence in elections.

The mission also recommended the opening of investigations into the conduct of officials during the polls with the aim of ensuring individual accountability for misdeeds that led to the nullification of the polls.

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