Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has termed comments from Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka blaming President William Ruto for the ongoing escalation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as 'reckless'.
In a statement from his office dated Wednesday, February 5, Mudavadi said the problems in Congo have “nothing to do with Kenya or its leadership.” This comes as President Ruto, the Chairperson of the East African Community (EAC), faces pressure to resolve the escalating violence in Eastern DRC.
While speaking in Kilome Sub-County in Makueni County three days ago, Kalonzo dismissed Ruto’s efforts in DRC peace talks, saying Ruto had failed to support Uhuru Kenyatta, his former boss, when he was the EAC’s peace envoy.
“When (President) Ruto took over, the mistake he made was removing (former President) Uhuru as the chief mediator and refusing to facilitate him, and then the whole thing went south,” Kalonzo said.
He added, “How can he claim to solve DRC problems when he can’t do it at home?” In his rejoinder, Mudavadi termed the claims as regrettable, further defending President Ruto.
“Kalonzo’s attempt to seek to link President Ruto with the issues in the DRC is not only an attempt to overstretch his political witch hunt for the Head of State but also reckless, especially for a leader who served for a long time as a Minister of Foreign Affairs and was supposed to understand better the DRC dynamics,” Mudavadi asserted.
Kalonzo is not the only one to point out the failure of leaders to deal with the M23 in the DRC. Rwanda’s Paul Kagame last week faulted African leaders over the latest crisis while singling out the Uhuru-led peace talks. Kagame said the talks were sabotaged, and it became about individuals and not the issues.
The back and forth between the leaders comes ahead of a joint summit of the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) scheduled to take place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Friday and Saturday this week.
This meeting follows separate discussions held by both regional blocs concerning the situation in the DRC. EAC called for the cessation of hostilities between the warring parties, a move that was supported by SADC.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan will host the summit, with confirmed attendance from DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
The summit will be preceded by a ministerial meeting on Friday, leading up to the Heads of State convening on Saturday.
Other leaders, including Kenyan President William Ruto, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, have also confirmed their participation.
