Gitobu Imanyara among 16 Guyana election observers

Former Imenti Central MP Gitobu Imanyara is among 16 eminent persons who are in Guyana to observe the national and regional elections set for March 2.

The human rights lawyer received the invitation from Secretary General of the Commonwealth on Nations, Baroness Patricia Scotland.

Mr Imanyara is the only observer from Africa.

He flew to Guyana on Friday night and met the other observers in Georgetown for a briefing on Sunday morning.

“It's an honour and privilege for me and my country, Kenya, to be nominated as the only African delegate in the mission," he told the Nation in an interview.

RECORD

In 2011 while still MP, the African Union appointed the multi-party crusader as head of the African Union Election Observer Mission in Uganda. The AU said that election was not free and fair.

Prior to that, Mr Imanyara headed the election observer mission to Zanzibar as chair of the Amani Forum.

The former MP was in Bulgaria when it held its first elections after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

He also led an election observer mission in Rwanda when Paul Kagame was first elected and has observed polls in Lesotho.

INDEPENDENCE

The 16-member team, which comprises political leaders, civil society representatives and lawyers, will be led by former Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur.

Baroness Scotland noted that the group is expected to independently and impartially review the vote's credibility and give its report to the local electoral commission.

"The group will be free to propose action on institutional, procedural and other matters," she said.