The President of the Pan-African Parliament, His Excellency, Hon. Chief Fortune Zephania Charumbira, conveys his hearty congratulations to His Excellency, William Kipchirchir Samoei Arap Ruto, upon his election as the President-elect of the Republic of Kenya.
The unanimous confirmation by the Supreme Court of the results of the General Elections held on 9th August, 2022, attests to the unfettered independence of the Judiciary, which is a critical tenet of democracy, as well as Kenya’s institutional commitment to representative democracy and respect for the will of the people.
The Pan-African Parliament is proud to have been an integral part of the AU Joint Election Observation Mission to Kenya. As the continental representative institution whose sacred mandate is drawn from the African citizenry, we are gratified to note and strongly identify with Kenya’s burgeoning democracy and political tolerance. Despite widespread uncertainty across the country arising from the protracted election challenge, the people of Kenya exorcised the ghosts of past elections by waiting patiently for the Supreme Court to pronounce itself on the outcome of the elections without resorting to violence.
We thus implore His Excellency, President-designate Ruto, and the people of Kenya to immediately shift attention from the elections whose outcome has been validated by the Supreme Court, to focus on spurring the socio-economic development of this great African country.
In that regard, we welcome the conciliatory tone adopted by His Excellency, President-elect Ruto, and undertake to hold him to account for his promise to extend a hand of friendship to his political opponents and unite Kenyans in the endeavour to build a country that every Kenyan will be proud to call home. This is in line with the functions of the Pan-African Parliament as espoused in Rule 4 (b) of the PAP Rules of Procedure which enjoins the Pan African Parliament to “Promote human and people’s rights, consolidate democratic institutions and the democratic culture, good governance, transparency and the rule of law by all Organs of the Union, Regional Economic Communities and Member States.”
The Pan-African Parliament reassures the Republic of Kenya of its full support in the country’s quest towards pluralistic democracy, and sustainable socio-economic development predicated on tolerance, peace and stability.
HON. CHIEF FORTUNE ZEPHANIA CHARUMBIRA
PRESIDENT OF THE PAN – AFRICAN PARLIAMENT
