Kenya was on Tuesday caught in a diplomatic storm following claims that it was soliciting congratulatory messages from foreign countries after the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The respected London-based Financial Times(FT) reported Tuesday that Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed had asked her UK counterpart Boris Johnson to recognise the re-election of Mr Kenyatta following the Supreme Court dismissal of the petitions he had faced.
Mr Johnson obliged, sparking criticism in London that he had moved too fast to recognise Mr Kenyatta.
The paper said most Western powers were waiting for the President to be sworn in next Tuesday before they send their congratulatory messages.
FT in a report also quoted an e-mail allegedly sent by Kenyan ambassador to Brussels, Johnson Weru, that suggested he was pushing other nations to congratulate President Kenyatta after securing a second term following a disputed repeat election after his August 8 win was annulled by the Supreme Court in a petition filed by his main challenger Raila Odinga.
“Following the Supreme Court of Kenya ruling early today and which has upheld the victory of President Kenyatta, I am kindly requesting your indulgence in preparing and dispatching a suitable congratulations message. I am at hand for any quick consultations,” the Times quoted Ambassador Weru as saying in the e-mail sent to senior foreign ministry officials.
“Kenyans were very pleased that the US and other friends refused to congratulate Mr Kenyatta after the electoral commission announced that he had been elected President after an election more woefully tainted than the annulled August one,” Mr Odinga said in Washington during a lecture in his recent 10-day trip.
Leave a Reply