Uhuru in Ethiopia to lead AU election observation mission

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has arrived in Ethiopia to lead the African Union Election Observation Mission ahead of the country's general election scheduled for June 1, 2026, placing him at the centre of the continental body's efforts to monitor one of Africa's closely watched electoral exercises.

The African Union deployed the mission following an invitation from the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, with Uhuru appointed to head the observer team tasked with assessing the electoral process and the conduct of the polls.

Speaking upon his arrival in Addis Ababa on Saturday, Uhuru said the election carries importance beyond Ethiopia's borders because of the country's role within the African continent.

“As you know, Ethiopia is home to our continental organisation, the African Union, and therefore the election here is important not just for Ethiopia, but for the entire continent,” he said.

The former President said the observer team was eager to witness the voting process and expressed optimism that the exercise would be conducted peacefully.

“We are very happy to be here amongst our brothers and sisters and to witness the voting that shall take place on Monday,” he said.

“Our call is really for a peaceful situation, as Ethiopians are known for, and for people to wisely make their choice so that Ethiopia can continue to grow from strength, which would be our dream and our desire as a model for our continent.”

Uhuru also spoke about the African Union's broader role in supporting democratic processes across member states through election observation missions.

“The African Union participates, observes, and monitors various elections across the continent. The objective is to deepen democracy,” he said.

“The objective is to learn from each other. Ultimately, through various mechanisms that the AU has, countries can exchange ideas based on the experiences of different countries.”

He wished Ethiopia well as the country prepares to head to the polls on Monday.

According to the African Union, the mission is made up of 73 short-term observers drawn from 37 African countries.

The team includes ambassadors accredited to the African Union, election management officials, civil society representatives, election experts, human rights specialists, gender and media experts, as well as youth representatives.

The observers will be deployed to different parts of Ethiopia to monitor key stages of the electoral process on polling day.

Their responsibilities will include observing the opening of polling stations, voting procedures, the closing of polls, and the counting and tabulation of votes.

The African Union said the mission is part of its ongoing efforts to promote democratic governance, credible elections and political stability across member states.

Election observation missions are regularly deployed by the continental body to provide an independent assessment of electoral processes and support countries in strengthening democratic institutions.

The observer team is expected to issue preliminary findings after voting before releasing a detailed final report outlining its assessment of the election and observations from across the country.