On Monday, former President Uhuru Kenyatta was appointed to head the African Union election observation mission in South Africa.

AU in its statement noted the team led by the former head of state will comprise 60 short-term observers including three Core Team electoral experts.

The team will provide an assessment report of the quality of South African general elections which is scheduled for May 29.

The report will include an assessment of the degree to which the conduct of the elections meets regional, continental and international standards for democratic elections.

Uhuru’s team will also offer recommendations for improvement of future elections based on the findings and demonstrate the AU’s solidarity and support towards South Africa’s elections.

"The team will show support towards South Africa’s elections and democratization process to ensure that the conduct of democratic, credible and peaceful elections contributes to the consolidation of democratic governance, peace and stability," read part of the statement by AU.

The election observation mission will also engage with several other relevant stakeholders and observe the final preparations and polling process. 

Based on the findings, the AU election observation mission will issue its preliminary statement after the final day of the election process.

According to the African Union, the appointment of an elections observation team aligns with AU Agenda 2063, which aims to ensure good governance, democracy and respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law.

It is not the first time President Uhuru Kenyatta has been appointed to lead an elections observation mission.

In February last year, the former president was appointed to lead another similar team to observe Nigeria's elections which took place on February 25 of the same year.

The 90-member team led by Uhuru comprised of representatives from AU member states including officials from electoral bodies, civil society and independent experts.