President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga were linked with tactfully aiding Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi to ascend to power in January 2019.
In a report by the Daily Nation on Thursday, January 2, Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o indicated that President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga indirectly played a greater role in organising the country’s opposition in the December 2018 poll that was won by Tshisekedi.
Tshisekedi, who has long been a close ally of Raila Odinga, sought help from Nairobi in ensuring DRC’s opposition floored the leading party that was led by outgoing President Joseph Kabila.
Without disclosing the details, Nyong’o told journalists that the two leaders mobilised regional and global support for the Congolese opposition that saw Tshsekedi win the polls.
“I must thank President Kenyatta and Mr Odinga who had faith in us and went ahead to embrace both the presidential candidate Tshisekedi and his party, the Union of Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS),” Nyong’o is quoted in the publication.
Speaking at St Austin’s Catholic Church, Nairobi, during the requiem mass for Tshisekedi’s special advisor Gilbert Mundela who died at a Nairobi Hospital on December 27, 2019, Nyong’o indicated that the intervention by Kenyatta and Odinga helped strengthen Tshisekedi in the highly contested poll.
Further reports indicated that the two leaders took part in a successful campaign against a vote recount process as proposed by the South Africa Development Community (SADC).
The African Union also expressed reservations with how the election process was conducted, calling for a delay in the announcement of the results.
During the swearing-in ceremony for Tshisekedi on January 24, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta was notably present as the only head of state of the 17 invited.
Kenyatta and Odinga were also linked to assisting Tshisekedi to form a formidable team before the elections, with the candidate making his announcement to vie for the top seat in Nairobi in November 2018.
The Daily Nation further wrote that Odinga’s Spokesperson Dennis Onyango tirelessly worked to ensure Tshisekedi got media coverage during his announcements, a clear sign that Odinga was part of the process.
After the announcement, Tshisekedi held a private meeting with Odinga and other government officials where discussions on his ambitions were made.
Relations between Kenya and DRC have for long been cold, where Kenya has in many instances been accused of being a conduit for stolen minerals from DRC.
In 2011, former President Joseph Kabila met President Mwai Kibaki in Nairobi over reports that some gold had been stolen from his country and transported to Kenya.
