Former Zimbabwe judge to join Kenya election petition panel

RETIRED judge and Alpha Media Holdings Ombudsman, Justice Moses Chinhengo will be part of a high-level panel that will hear the 2022 Kenya presidential election petition.

Justice Chinhengo and other jurists, who are members of the Africa Judges and Jurists Forum will attend the Kenya Supreme Court hearings, monitor and document the presidential election petition based on international human rights standards of fair trial.

They will analyse the role and independence of Kenya's Judiciary in examining electoral disputes and review the socio-political climate in the run-up to the electoral petition.

"The observation mission will include bilateral meetings before the hearings with the parties to the petition, including the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, the office of the director of public prosecution, and attorney-general. The meetings aim to introduce the eminent jurists to the stakeholders of the petition and make them aware of the process and its modalities," the International Commission of Jurists said in a statement.

Other members of the delegation include lady justice Lillian Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza of the Supreme Court of Uganda, Lady justice Ivy Kamanga from the Supreme Court of Appeal of Malawi, and justice Henry Boissie Mbha, president of the Electoral Court of South Africa.

"At the end of the trial observation, the observers will develop a comprehensive report aiming at contributing to a more professional, independent, impartial and accountable Judiciary, a more independent legal profession and better adherence to the rule of law and international legal standards concerning the resolution of electoral disputes," the statement added.