Ugandan on team to monitor Ghana polls

A Ugandan has been appointed on the expert team to monitor Ghana's upcoming general elections slated for December 7.

Crispin Kaheru, the Coordinator of the Citizens' Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda was appointed by Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC).

"The Chairperson of the Commission would like you to be part of the said mission", a letter from the AUC dated October 3, 2016 to Kaheru read in part.

Reacting to his appointment, Kaheru said this is a sign of confidence by the continental body in the capabilities and passion of Ugandan expertise towards the advancement of democracy and good governance.

"This is a clear testament that individuals and institutions in our country that are committed to the advancement of democratic practices are being recognized and affirmed by local and international bodies in their own right," Kaheru said.

Kaheru and 13 other experts on the team arrived in Ghana on Wednesday and will carry out their assignment until after the country completes its elections in December.

Among the team's assignments is to meet with relevant stakeholders including election authorities, political parties, government representatives, civil society and security agencies to assess and report on the pre-election political environment and all aspects of the electoral process for and on behalf of the AU.

The experts will also assess, and report on the effectiveness and impartiality of the election administration during the pre-election period, on polling day, and in the days following the Ghana election.

During the December polls, Ghana will elect a president and 275 members of parliament. The Presidential race has so far attracted four candidates including Ivor Greenstreet (Convention People's Party), John Dramani Mahama (National Democratic Congress/current president), Nana Akufo-Addo (New Patriotic Party/main opposition leader) and Jacob Osei Yeboah (Independent candidate).

This is not Kaheru's first appointment to such a mission. Kaheru has been a member of the African Union Election Experts Committee since 2014. During his tenure, he has handled various sensitive election-related assignments on behalf of the AU; in Egypt (2014), Namibia (2014), and Lesotho (2015). This is in addition to managing various local and international election assignments in Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the U.S and Europe.