Kenya's Ambassador To DRC Unable To Report To Kinshasa Months After Appointment

• Kenya's diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have not been smooth for some time
• The DRC recalled its ambassador in Nairobi after a Congolese political leader issued an adverse statement about the country's electoral process in 2023
• So far, Kenya's ambassador to the DRC, Shem Amadi, has not been able to report to the country due to an authorisation stalemate

Michael Ollinga is a journalist at TUKO.co.ke with over 10 years of experience covering courts and crimes, special reports, and current affairs in Kenya.

Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Abraham Korir Sing'oei has opened up about the diplomatic tiff pitting Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kenya Airways staff arrested in the DRC

This comes a few days after military intelligence personnel in Kinshasa arrested a senior Kenya Airways staffer in the DRC and detained her incommunicado for 16 days.

Lydia Olando, the KQ station manager in Kinshasa, and her Congolese colleague Olivier Lufungula were detained on Friday, April 19, which caused the national carrier to stop its flights to the DRC.

Speaking to Citizen TV, Sing'oei explained that the friction between Kenya and DRC could be traced back to the deployment of the Kenyan military in Eastern Congo in 2022 and the subsequent withdrawal of troops in 2023.

What caused Kenya and DRC friction?

Sing'oei said the recent incident was just the culmination of a simmering row that emanated from the DRC taking offence at Kenya's decision to allow a political group to issue an adverse press statement and threats against the country's electoral commission in 2023.

"This was a very difficult case involving one of our very important companies engaged in business abroad. A well-known and respected career in the region. It took us aback to learn that DRC authorities had arrested and detained a KQ staff member incommunicado.

"We have had a difficult time with DRC. Our military was in the Eastern DRC for several years under the East African Standby Force, but it began facing resistance towards the end of 2023 and was withdrawn. We didn't think that could have been the reason for the arrest," he explained.

Press statement that severed Kenya, DRC relations

Defending Kenya against issues that the DRC took offence at, Sing'oei said Kenya was a democratic state, and Kenyans were free to express themselves, including through press conferences.

"In Kenya, anybody can hold a press conference, and it was not expected that the Kenyan government would take action against people who were expressing themselves about their country," the PS stated.

He disclosed that the DRC had not authorised Kenya's ambassador, Shem Amadi, many months after he was appointed and deployed.

Who is Kenya's Ambassador to the DRC

President William Ruto appointed Amadi and 28 other envoys in November 2023.

"The authorities in the DRC took offence at the presser and recalled their ambassador from Nairobi. Our ambassador to the DRC has been unable to report because he was not given authorisation," he disclosed.

In a recent update, Sing'oei disclosed that Kenya negotiated the release of the KQ staffer through efforts by the Military Attaché, the Foreign Affairs Office, and the Charge d'affaires.

Proofreading by Asher Omondi, current affairs journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.