African Leaders Mourn the Passing of Raila Odinga
The death of Raila Odinga, a prominent Kenyan opposition leader and former prime minister, has prompted reactions from various African leaders. They have expressed their condolences to the Kenyan government and people, highlighting his role as a pan-African statesman who championed democracy across the continent.
East African leaders were among the first to send their tributes, but there was an unusual delay in the response from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). DRC President Félix Tshisekedi, who is known to be close to Odinga, did not immediately issue his condolences or comment on the matter.
It was only late on Thursday that Tshisekedi’s spokesperson, Tina Salama, released a statement expressing deep sorrow over Odinga’s passing. The statement praised Odinga as a “statesman and symbol of democracy in Africa” and extended heartfelt condolences to his family and the Kenyan nation.
Congolese Opposition Meeting in Nairobi Sparks Controversy
The news of Odinga’s death coincided with tensions in Kinshasa, where Congolese opposition figures met in Nairobi on Tuesday. This meeting was led by Joseph Kabila, the former president of the DRC, who is currently living under a death sentence for treason and other serious crimes.
Kabila was joined by several Congolese opposition figures at the Nairobi conclave, including Franck Diongo, a leader accused of supporting the AFC/M23 rebellion in eastern Congo. Former Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo, recently sentenced to ten years of hard labor for embezzlement, also attended the meeting. Other participants included Moise Nyarugabo, Jose Malik, and Seth Kikuni.
However, some key opposition figures such as Moise Katumbi, Martin Fayulu, and Jean-Marc Kabund were not part of the Nairobi gathering. These leaders have been engaging with President Tshisekedi to build a national coalition and unify the country.
Kabila, on the other hand, appears to be working against these efforts, according to his allies who reject his death sentence. This move could be seen as an attempt to counter Tshisekedi’s influence.
Government Response and Diplomatic Tensions
Reacting to the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Jacquemain Shabani described it as a “black mass organised by convicted criminals against our country.” He warned that the Congolese government would take action against those involved if it is proven that the meeting aims to destabilize the institutions of the republic.
Kabila, who ruled the DRC for 18 years, is currently in Nairobi with political allies. Analysts suggest this may signal an effort to pool resources and re-enter national politics. Some diplomatic sources claim that Kenya invited Kabila and his allies to hold meetings, with assurances of protection so long as the discussions aimed to promote dialogue for Congo.
However, the Congolese Deputy Prime Minister accused Kenya of “hosting meetings that project chaos in Congo.” He added that the government was preparing an official response to the situation.
Strained Relations Between DRC and Kenya
Kinshasa has had strained diplomatic ties with Nairobi since hosting M23 rebels who launched the Congo River Alliance in December 2023, seeking to unseat President Tshisekedi. At the time, President William Ruto said Kenya would not gag anyone for expressing themselves and declined Kinshasa’s request to extradite the M23 leaders.
In retaliation, DRC has stalled in accrediting two Kenyan envoys, weakening Nairobi’s diplomatic footprint in the vast central African nation. Kenyan officials have been reluctant to speak on the record, but a diplomat confirmed that the government was aware of the Congolese politicians’ meetings and would provide adequate security.
Ongoing Peace Talks and Political Challenges
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, delegates of the DRC government and those of the Congo River Alliance/M23 signed the Ceasefire Monitoring and Verification Mechanism in Doha under Qatari facilitation. The mechanism includes representatives of the DRC and AFC/M23, as well as observers from Qatar, the United States, the African Union, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), and the UN mission in the Congo (Monusco).
As talks between M23 and the government continue, Kabila—whom Kinshasa accuses of aiding the rebels now in control of two eastern provinces—appears determined to shape the country’s political future.
Some analysts argue that Congo’s problems are political, not legal. The death sentence handed down to President Joseph Kabila further weakens the country, according to Jean Claude Katende, a human rights activist in the DRC, after the military court’s verdict.
The court’s decision followed a Senate vote lifting the immunity normally granted to sitting and former heads of state in the DRC. In addition to sentencing Kabila to death, the court ordered his immediate arrest and a payment of over $30 billion in damages to the state and to the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, where the M23 rebellion has displaced millions.
The judgment was seen as part of President Tshisekedi’s effort to deal decisively with the M23 movement.
In 2024, the DRC lifted its 20-year moratorium on the death penalty, targeting murderers, terrorists, traitors, and those plotting to kill the head of state. Still, no executions have been carried out to date.
The court relied on statements by Kabila, reports from the UN Joint Human Rights Office, testimony from a close associate, and evidence from Eric Nkuba—an M23 member sentenced to death—who alleged that Kabila was plotting with Corneille Nangaa, leader of the AFC/M23, to overthrow Tshisekedi.
Kabila’s party, PPRD, has rejected the verdict, describing it as political persecution.
Before arriving in Goma in May, Kabila declared that he was “coming out of retirement in view of the situation our country is going through.” “To remain silent would have made me liable to prosecution before the court of history for failing to assist more than 100 million compatriots in danger,” he said, condemning what he termed “the tyranny and chaos that have taken hold in the DRC.”
