Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has arrived in South Africa ahead of the country’s General Election to be held on May 29, 2024.

Together with the other members of the African Union Election Observer Mission (AUEOM), the former President, who is the current head of the mission, landed in the country to prepare for the activities in the elections.

At the invitation of the government of South Africa and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of South Africa, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, approved the deployment of the short-term AUEOM to assess and report on the conduct of this election.

“The mission shall interact with state authorities, the Independent Electoral Commission, political parties, the media, civil society organisations and representatives of the international community in the upcoming 2024 elections,” a statement by the AU read.

The AUEOM comprises 60 short-term observers (STOs) drawn from ambassadors accredited to the African Union, officials of election management bodies, and members of African civil society organizations.

Surprisingly, Uhuru arrived at the rainbow nation with a small entourage, unlike President William Ruto who travelled with a ‘whole village’ to the U.S. during his state visit that began last Sunday.

Ruto‘s trip is expected to cost the taxpayer Sh 1 billion.