In a rare but striking moment in Kenya’s political history, President William Ruto and his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta, met at State House Nairobi today.
The occasion? A high-stakes joint summit between the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to help find peace in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The meeting is being co-chaired by President Ruto, who currently chairs the EAC, and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, head of the SADC. Mnangagwa touched down in Nairobi last night ahead of the event.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta attended in his official capacity as a key facilitator in the EAC-led Nairobi Process for the DRC peace initiative.
Speaking at the start of the summit, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said:
“The Nairobi meeting brings together regional leadership focused on peace in the DRC. It will also serve as a briefing session with the Panel of Facilitators steering the mediation efforts.”
The move signals renewed energy to align peace efforts by both regional blocs, following months of stalled negotiations and growing unrest in the eastern DRC.
Uhuru’s role in the talks is no accident. In March, both EAC and SADC appointed him alongside four other former African heads of state to help steer the mediation. They include Nigeria’s Olusegun Obasanjo, South Africa’s Kgalema Motlanthe, Catherine Samba-Panza of the Central African Republic, and Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia.
Earlier, in February, Uhuru was appointed to represent both EAC and SADC peace efforts together with Obasanjo and former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.
The aim is simple but urgent—bring stability to a region that has endured decades of violence, mass displacement, and broken promises.
Though relations between Ruto and Uhuru have been politically frosty since the 2022 elections, today’s meeting was cordial. There were handshakes, smiles, and a quiet understanding that the stakes here go far beyond personal politics.
“This isn’t about who is in office,” said a senior diplomatic source familiar with the meeting.
“It’s about showing the world—and especially the people of eastern Congo—that African leaders can come together to solve African problems.”
With pressure mounting from international partners and humanitarian agencies, today’s summit could mark a turning point in regional cooperation for peace in the DRC.
Only time will tell if these diplomatic gestures will translate into real change on the ground. But for now, the image of Ruto and Uhuru standing side by side once again is already making waves across Africa.
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