Russia is suspected of spreading disinformation in Kenya by suggesting that the UK has been interfering in the African country’s elections.

Accusations of Britain and the US undermining Kenya’s democratic process have been widespread on social media and fake news websites in the country, prompting anxiety in the Foreign Office.

Concerns have been raised in other government departments in the past month about a “Russian connection” to the anti-British propaganda, according to a senior Whitehall source. The picture is not clear-cut, however, with some Foreign Office mandarins believing that the disinformation originates solely from Kenyan campaign sources.

Fears about the potential involvement of Russia in spreading anti-UK sentiment abroad comes as the Electoral Commission has launched an investigation into whether Moscow interfered in the Brexit