Former US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is in Kenya to co-leader a team of the Carter Center’s election monitors, has paid tribute to slain electoral commission ICT director Christopher Msando, who was murdered under unclear circumstances.
“We all wish to honor Msando’s dedication to transparent elections,” Kerry said.
“Security for the elections and all election administrators throughout the electoral process is paramount for the conduct of credible and democratic elections. We hope that his death will not have a chilling effect on voters and electoral authorities,” Kerry added.
The Carter Centre also condemned attacks on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission by political factions.
“Attacks on the IEBC and other independent institutions, whether verbal or physical, remain an unacceptable form of public discourse,” the Centre said in a statement.
“The Centre further implores politicians to refrain from politicizing this event,” the statement added in regard to Msando’s murder,”.
The Carter Center, which was founded by former US President Jimmy Carter, also called for “an independent and comprehensive investigation” into the death of Msando and asked the Electoral Commission to test electronic systems first before the election date.
“The success of Kiems remains an essential step toward increasing stakeholder confidence in the election,” the Carter Centre said.
Last week, the US election monitoring group praised the IEBC’s preparedness, although it pointed out commissioners’ “inadequate communication with stakeholders and insufficient transparency regarding their decision-making.”
Kerry will co-lead the team together with Aminata Touré, a former prime minister of Senegal, and will arrive in the country this week.
