Boris Johnson under fire again for congratulating President Kenyatta

PHOTO: UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (Left) and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed (Right) addressing the media

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is facing criticism for a second time, for sending congratulatory message to President Uhuru Kenyatta after the Supreme Court upheld his victory of October 26 repeat poll. A tweet from the State House dated November 20 acknowledges Mr Johnson after he endorsed the Supreme Court judgment of November 20, which has since received checkered response from Kenyans.

The tweet would then plunge Mr Johnson into another tight spot of criticism, where opponents accused him of reacting too early to the Kenyan political development. According to the UK’s Telegraph, the move by Mr Johnson may have proved messy to the British High Commissioner in Kenya Mr Nicholas Hailey who was perhaps waiting for ‘the most opportune time’ to react to the situation in Kenya.

Telegraph further reveals that Johnson’s congratulation has ‘isolated’ Britain from its Western peers, since her regional counterparts were delaying the offers for a while as they gauge the political situation in the country. Crackdown on the protesters which resulted in deaths and injuries, and an attempt by the government to clamp down freedom of demonstration and picketing are pin-pointed as the reasons why some Western powers froze congratulation for a while.

NASA principal Raila Odinga is said to have disapproved Johnson’s move where he described him as someone who was prioritizing ‘interests ahead of values of Britain.

This is not the first time that Boris Johnson has been criticized on grounds of making ‘pre-mature’ diplomatic moves. Before the August 8 presidential election results were annulled on illegalities and irregularities, the diplomat went ahead to congratulate President Kenyatta only to be met by bashing from UK legislators back home.

Liberal Democratic Member Tom Brake blasted Mr Johnson and went ahead to heap doubts over his capability to represent the Britons. Brake asserted that Boris’ endorsement of Kenyan election was a depiction of how doubtful he was to represent Britain and instill values of democracy abroad.

 LibDem party Spokesperson Vince Cable later accused British Prime Minister Theresa May for ‘overlooking’ Johnson’s mess. Mr Cable described Boris has someone who had moved from being a ‘poster boy’ for the Brexit quest into a national baggage.

Johnson has been involved in a string of utterances which have made him a more vocal but controversial politician. In one case, he was once quoted saying that the Libyan city Sirte which experiences heavy gun fights need to ‘remove the bodies,’ a statement that was considered inhuman and belittling.

So far President Kenyatta has been congratulated by Britain, Sudan, Uganda and Bangladesh. Albeit, State House maintains that more countries have given Kenyatta an endorsement.