Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has distanced himself from a congratulatory message to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi on his reelection as president.
In a statement on December 31,2023 the Office of the 4th President of the Republic of Kenya said a news update that was doing rounds within various mainstream and social media platforms was fake.
“The office of the 4th President of the Republic of Kenya and Facilitator of the EAC-Led Nairobi Peace Process would like to disassociate itself from this news update doing rounds within various mainstream and social media platforms,” Uhuru’s office clarified.
The statement, however, raised questions from some quarters as users pointed to a possible u turn from the office of the former President.
In the message that was later labeled fake, Uhuru had reportedly shared a congratulatory note to President Tshisekedi on his victory.
“President Uhuru Kenyatta has sent congratulatory message to H.E President H.E Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on his reelection as the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, “read the statement termed fake in the post.
Reactions to Uhuru Message
In reaction to the subsequent post, X user Bernard Kiprop wondered how the Uhuru’s office was using a screenshot from its own page to dismiss the congratulatory message.
“A fake news update with a screenshot of an update from the same account,” said Kiprop.
Oliver Mathenge, a renowned journalist, also weighed in stating that Uhuru ’s handlers had embarrassed him on the last day of 2023.
Speaking before the dismissal of the news, blogger Abuga Makori argued that Uhuru should have waited to congratulate Tshisekedi.
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According to Makori, this move portrayed him as a saboteur of democracy.
X user Gideon Kitheka Snr said, “Uhuru’s hasty declaration of Tshisekedi as the winner of the DRC election, before the CENI formally announced the result, raises concerns about the credibility of the process.”
According to Kitheka his premature declaration and potential involvement in the election process could undermine his role as a mediator of the M23-DRC conflict.
DRC Election Results
President Tshisekedi garnered around 72% of the votes during elections held on the 20th of December 2023, according to provisional results released by the country’s electoral commission.
Tshisekedi was followed by businessman Moise Katumbi, who received 18% of the votes, while Martin Fayulu garnered 5%.
At the same time, Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege who is also a physician known for treating women brutalized by sexual violence in eastern Congo, got less than 1%.
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The election had more than a 40% turnout with some 18 million people voting.
Election Chief Denis Kadima said the results will be sent to the constitutional court for confirmation.
However, there are demands from the opposition and some civil society groups for the vote to be rerun due to massive logistical problems that put the validity of the outcome into question.
