S&D Group vice-president Tanja Fajon and S&D member of the European Parliament's women's rights committee Julie Ward took part in a cross-party delegation from the European Parliament to observe the elections in Kenya on 8 August. Despite the fear of violence in the lead-up to election day, Members noticed everywhere a peaceful and positive atmosphere among voters, polling station staff and observers of from all major parties.

S&D Group vice-president Tanja Fajon said:

"I was impressed by the level of organisation at all the voting stations that we visited. That deserves our congratulations to the Kenyan people. The seriousness they expressed showed they want to have the future of their country in their hands. The atmosphere was peaceful overall even though many people waited for hours to cast their vote. We didn't observe any major irregularities, people were friendl, and there were no signs of suppression of voters."

S&D MEP Julie Ward added:

"We were warmly welcomed everywhere and our presence and attention greatly appreciated, especially in the more remote areas. It was amazing to see long queues of voters assembling from as early as 4am, eager to exercise their democratic right to determine their country's future. The preparations for this year's Kenyan elections have been somewhat fraught and a challenge to organise but on the day the ordinary citizens set the tone for a peaceful process, demonstrating a civic maturity that could set the standard for other developing nations.“

Note to editors

The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) learned of the complaint regarding alleged ICT manipulations through hacking. These are serious allegations that need serious scrutiny. As with all complaints received by an EU EOM, the mission looks into them, but more importantly looks at how the responsible Kenyan authorities follow up and manage the issue.