President Ruto Hosts Uhuru Kenyatta at State House for DRC Peace Talks
In a rare and notable moment, President William Ruto welcomed former President Uhuru Kenyatta to State House Nairobi on August 1, 2025.
The two leaders came together to attend a high-level joint meeting involving the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Co-Chairs, alongside the Panel of Facilitators for the ongoing peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
President Ruto co-chaired the meeting in his capacity as the current Chairperson of the EAC, while Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who leads SADC, co-chaired the session as well. President Mnangagwa had landed in Kenya a day earlier, on July 31, 2025.
The purpose of this important meeting was to strengthen and harmonize the regional efforts being made to bring lasting peace and stability to the conflict-affected eastern region of the DRC.
According to a statement from Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nairobi gathering aimed to align and coordinate both EAC and SADC-led peace initiatives, reinforcing a united African approach to resolving the crisis.
“The Nairobi meeting brings together regional leadership with a strong focus on advancing the peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
It also serves as a platform for the Panel of Facilitators to provide updates and briefings on the ongoing mediation efforts,” the Ministry stated.
“The Joint EAC-SADC engagement represents a clear and powerful signal of Africa’s determination to pursue African-led solutions to the continent’s peace and security challenges,” the ministry emphasized.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta participated in the meeting in his official role as one of the facilitators of the EAC-led Nairobi Process, which is focused on addressing the security and peace situation in the eastern DRC.
Earlier in March 2025, a joint summit involving the EAC and SADC had formally appointed Uhuru Kenyatta, along with four other former African presidents, to lead the DRC peace negotiations. This same summit was co-chaired by both President Ruto and President Mnangagwa.
The panel of appointed facilitators included Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo, South Africa’s former President Kgalema Motlanthe, Catherine Samba-Panza, the former President of the Central African Republic, and Sahle-Work Zewde, the former President of Ethiopia. All were chosen to help steer the peace process and support mediation efforts in the DRC.
Before the March appointments, Uhuru had already been selected in February to serve as one of the facilitators of the joint EAC and SADC peace mission in eastern Congo. He was appointed alongside former Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo and former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.
The meeting at State House, which brought together current and former African leaders, marked a significant step in coordinating peace efforts and highlighted the commitment of regional blocs to work together for lasting stability in the DRC.
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