Election observation missions should up their game

IEBC official verifying election material at Kerugoya Boys High School. [File, Standard]

International and domestic election observer missions are gaining importance globally. Kenya is holding its general election today and due to the level of democratisation, the country will have several election observer missions.

But going by the 2017 elections when observers gave the presidential election a clean pass, only for the outcome to be annulled by the Supreme Court, there is an important question that critics have asked. Do election observer missions have the necessary tools to detect the complex nature of irregularities and illegalities perpetrated by various actors during elections?