By Kabs Kanu : Public Relations Officer
Women in Global Elections Auditing and Monitoring have dug their spurs in Kenya and are ready to go. They have not only had engagements with the Kenyan Civil Society and media; they have trained volunteers to work with them to audit and monitor today’s presidential Elections in Kenya.
Madam Khadija Sesay, the Chief Executive Officer of the Washington DC-based organization working in partnership with the European Union, United Nations, ECOWAS and the African Union ( AU ) told the media yesterday that WIMAGE has also presented its three-prong Action Plan. The First Prong consists of monitoring elections world-wide to ensure that they are free, fair and credible.
The Second Prong entails auditing the elections to ensure that women got their free share of participation in the process and representation in the people elected, in consonance with the Sustainable Development Goals No. 15.
In the third prong, WIMAGE engages civil society and the media to analze the political situation , the electoral process and the roles given women to take leadership position , through which way WIMAGE also helps influence policies through their governments.
Khadija Sesay explained that WIMAGE does not tailor-make the action plans. Rather, they work through civil society, the media and the electoral commission to formulate action plans for every country the organization audits and monitors elections.
After the elections, WIMAGE will hold the last meeting with stakeholders , civil society, the media , the elections commission and government officials to look at the elections comprehensively –how it went and what the country could have done right and better. This will facilitate the action plan which will be formulated within 90 days through collaboration between the WIMAGE Public Relations Department , civil society, the media, the electoral commission and the government.
WIMAGE is also set to audit and monitor the forthcoming elections in France, Brazil, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
MEANWHILE, on arrival in Nairobi last week, WIMAGE trained volunteers in the art of elections auditing and monitoring and these volunters will work with WIMAGE during the electoral process.
