Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta's UK visit causes inevitable controversy

Sky News' decision to label a story on the visit as 'Criminal president' angers Kenyans

Daniel Howden
Tuesday 07 May 2013 04:49 EDT
Comments
Uhuru Kenyatta is charged with crimes against humanity
Uhuru Kenyatta is charged with crimes against humanity (AFP/Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The inevitable controversy surrounding the London visit by Kenya's indicted president Uhuru Kenyatta has sparked something of a backlash in East Africa. Mr Kenyatta, who faces trial at The International Criminal Court (ICC) over his alleged role in orchestrating violence after an election in 2007, was unexpectedly invited to the UK to attend a conference on Somalia.

The debut foreign trip by the first man to seek election while under ICC indictment was bound to be scrutinised. However, the decision by British broadcaster Sky News to bill him as the “criminal president” in a headline was attacked by hordes of Kenyans on social media. The Twitter hashtag #someonetellSKY has been trending in East Africa since Sunday, with outraged Kenyans venting their spleen. Mr Kenyatta turned the tribunal's case against him to his own advantage during his recent election campaign, saying the prosecution was a violation of national sovereignty. His campaign railed against foreign conspiracies and stoked anti-colonial feeling to great effect.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in