President Uhuru Kenyatta skipped the inauguration ceremony of Tanzania President John Pombe Magufuli on Thursday, November 5.
The Head of State instead sent East Africa Community CS Adan Mohammed and Interior CAS Hussein Dado to represent him.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on why Kenyatta did not honour the invite and opted to send emissaries.
ODM leader Raila Odinga, who is a close political and family friend of the Tanzanian President, also skipped the event.
Odinga has not issued a statement congratulated Magufuli who garnered 12.5 million votes (84%of the votes cast) against Opposition Leader Tundu Lissu's 1.9 million votes (13%).
The former Prime Minister's representatives did not respond when sought for comment.
Magufuli was sworn in in Dodoma, Tanzania and took an oath to serve the neighbouring country for five more years and his last term as President.
"I John Pombe Magufuli, vow to serve Tanzanian citizens without fear, favour nor hate," Magufuli swore.
Former Tanzanian Presidents Ali Hassan Mwinyi and Jakaya Kikwete, Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Burundi's Prime Minister Alaine Bunyoni, Botswana's VP Slumber Tsogwane, Mozambique Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosário and Zanzibar's President Hussein Ali Mwinyi - were in attendance.
Kenyatta on Saturday, October 31, congratulated Magufuli after his re-election in a highly contested but controversial voting exercise.
"Your re-election is a demonstration of the love, respect and admiration Tanzanians have for you and your administration. This is an endorsement of your plans for the future prosperity of your country," Kenyatta stated.
Several groups including; the US government, election observers, and civil rights groups such as Tanzania Elections Watch Panel, expressed their concern over the conduct of the elections. Tundu Lissu opposed the results claiming that votes were manipulated.
