Charles Tannock, on behalf of the ECR Group. – Madam President, 2017 was indeed a very difficult year for Kenya. As democrats in this House, we all feel a profound sense of sadness when we observe elections that are flawed, and reading the reports from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and our own EU Election Observation Mission, this seems to have been the case for both elections in Kenya last year.

It was hoped that the historic ruling of the Supreme Court last September calling for fresh presidential elections would have made way for a new and fairer poll. However, evidence shows that, on the contrary, independent institutions were attacked by political leaders, the police again used disproportionate force and the independence of the judiciary and the Electoral Commission were still put into question. It is particularly worrying that the Supreme Court was unable to hear a case seeking postponement of polling the day before the fresh election was due to take place, due to the lack of a quorum of judges. Was pressure applied on the judges not to turn up on the day? It is also deeply regrettable that opposition candidate Raila Odinga felt he had no choice but to withdraw as a candidate.

Where does Kenya go from here? The weight of responsibility now clearly lies on the shoulders of the Jubilee Party and President Kenyatta. The world will be watching closely. It is a testament to the courage and resilience of the Kenyan people that their country has not descended into civil war, frankly. Kenya must now come together again to uphold the rule of law and fundamental freedoms that are indispensable to a flourishing, democratic modern nation. The EU and the African Union must fully support Kenya in all these aspirations.