NAIROBI, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The East Africa Community (EAC) Observation Mission on Friday hailed Kenya's preparation for next week's polls, adding that the electoral body is on schedule to deliver free and fair elections.
Head of Mission of the EAC Election Observer Mission Professor Edward Rugumayo told a media briefing in Nairobi that they have held fruitful meetings with all the major stakeholders in the electoral process.
"The government has assured us that everything is in place and is secure to ensure the general election will be free, fair and transparent," Rugumayo said during the flag-off of the EAC observer mission.
The EAC observer mission consists of 60 members drawn from the six partner states who will visit 21 out of the 47 counties.
The team will return on Aug. 9 and thereafter release a preliminary report regarding the general elections.
"We have adequately prepared our mission members for this task and we are looking forward to an independent and objective observation that will reflect and represent the true picture of the electoral environment and processes," Rugumayo said.
The head of the mission said that his team has been given specific instructions on what to observe and what to report and examine along the lines of the EAC Treaty.
Rugumayo said his team is optimistic that Kenya can avoid a repeat of the 2007 post-elections violence that led to the loss of over 1,000 lives.
"All the candidates we have met have expressed commitment not to incite their supporters to engage in any act of violence," he added.
