The United Kingdom Prime Minister, Borris Johnson's credibility has been put to question after his congratulatory message to President Uhuru Kenyatta after the 2017 elections became a matter of public interest.
Speaking during an interview on ITV on Friday, May 27, Rory Stewart, who was serving as the Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office at the time, stated that UK government officials did not contend with the manner in which the 2017 polls in Kenya were conducted.
Further, he stated that the UK government had made a decision to take a firm stand over Uhuru's win, adding that they were shocked when Johnson sent the congratulatory message to the President of the Republic of Kenya.
"A classic example of the PM lying is when we were working in the foreign office and we had issues with the Kenyan elections in 2017.
"The Supreme Court had officers with guns and we had agreed on a policy we were going to be tough on Kenya together with the Prime Minister, but later on I read on Twitter that he congratulated the country for holding perfect elections," he stated.
He added that the Prime Minister acknowledged that he was wrong, adding that Johnson apologised for sending the congratulatory message to Uhuru.
"I went to him and asked what he had done, telling him that we had wasted all this time issuing a statement as an international community. He told me sorry and that he was on a way to the meeting," added Stewart.
In November 2017, State House released a statement that announced that President Kenyatta received a congratulatory message from the UK amidst growing political tension in the country.
“Britain Congratulates President Uhuru Kenyatta on his re-election through UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, Cabinet Secretary Ambassador Amina Mohammed confirms," read State House statement at the time.
"The Foreign Secretary spoke to the Kenyan Foreign Minister to discuss the situation in Zimbabwe. During the conversation, she updated him that Supreme Court proceedings in Kenya had now concluded and the Foreign Secretary rightly congratulated her," added the statement.
At the time, Johnson's message saw him come under sharp criticism from a section of the international community even as former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, opted out of the repeat polls.
The UK Prime Minister is currently under pressure to resign over the party-gate scandal where he is reported to have attended a party against the government's regulations on social distancing during the pandemic.
