How mistrust is fuelling tension between Kenya and DR Congo

Kenya’s top diplomat, Musalia Mudavadi, flew to Kinshasa last week to de-escalate tensions between Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Mudavadi’s visit coincided with heightened tensions between the two countries, marking a sharp departure from years of growing economic and military cooperation.

The diplomatic mission followed the resumption of Kenya Airways’ daily flights to Kinshasa from Nairobi on Wednesday, which were previously postponed due to the arrest and detention of Kenyan airline staff by Congolese military intelligence.

What triggered this shift was the suspension late last month of Kenya Airways flights to Kinshasa. This was after Congolese military intelligence detained two of the airline’s employees, a Kenyan national and a Congolese citizen.

Nairobi’s intervention led to their subsequent release on the evening of May 6.

Foreign Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei praised the Kenyan diplomatic team led by Kevin Thuo for skilfully negotiating the release.

President William Ruto’s encounter with DRC President Felix Tshisekedi in Dar es Salaam on April 26 did little to ease the mounting tensions.

While attending the 60th-anniversary celebrations of Tanzania’s and Zanzibar’s union, the two leaders engaged briefly.

African leaders, among them Kenyan President William Ruto (extreme left) and the DRC’s Felix Tshisekedi (extreme right) attend the 60th anniversary celebration of the union between the former Republic of Tanganyika and the People’s Republic of Zanzibar at the Uhuru National Stadium in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, on April 26, 2024. (Photo: PCS)

Back home, the detention of the Kenyan Airways employees was straining diplomatic relations.

The two were apprehended for alleged involvement in the attempted export of $8 million (Sh1 Billion) in banknotes, purportedly unfit for circulation.

The money was destined for the reserve federal office in New York. This rift marked a huge downturn in the once-promising relationship between Kenya and the DRC.

But when did things start going wrong?

In February 2022, Ruto, who was then the deputy president, drew online criticism from Congolese communities for remarks deemed offensive.

During a campaign rally in Nyeri, he was captured on video pledging to boost investment in livestock farming so that Kenyans could export their products to the DRC. He said that despite the DRC’s large population, it lacked enough cows and had to import milk.

When Ruto assumed the presidency, Kinshasa’s congratulations were notably delayed, a move pundits attributed to the remarks he made earlier and the close ties between Ruto’s predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga.

President William Ruto officially opens the Bunge Tower, Nairobi on April 25, 2024. (Photo: PSC)

EAC membership and its perks

Kenyatta had convinced Tshisekedi to consider joining the East African Community, citing various reasons, notably the need to address the deteriorating security situation in the eastern DRC.

During this period, Kenyan economic interests expanded significantly in the mineral-rich country, with strong support from Tshisekedi’s administration.

By the time the DRC became a member of the bloc in April 2022, Kenya’s Equity Bank had already established a presence in Kinshasa through a merger with Banque Commerciale du Congo, forming Equity BCDC.

Equity BCDC emerged as the largest financial services network in the country, boasting a substantial balance sheet of $2.5 billion, a widespread network comprising 79 branches, and a customer base nearing 1.4 million.

The profit growth rate outperformed the bank’s unit in Kenya by a massive margin in the third quarter of 2023, showing the massive potential that the DRC market holds.

When Equity Group expanded into the continent’s leading copper and cobalt producer in 2020, its rival, KCB Bank, took notice.

To counter Equity’s expansion in Kinshasa, KCB, Kenya’s largest bank by asset base, acquired a majority stake in Trust Merchant Bank (TMB), a prominent lender based in the DRC’s mining capital Lubumbashi.

TMB boasts over 110 branches across the DRC, providing access to a population of 93 million people. TMB was the first bank in the country to introduce mobile banking services.

Both Equity and KCB have capitalised on mergers and acquisitions to enter the DRC market. On open skies, data analysis shows only Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, and Uganda Airlines serve Kinshasa with direct flights to their respective capitals.

There are 5,342 seats a week available in either direction. Ethiopian, which operates two flights daily, accounts for 63 per cent of those seats, while KQ, operating a single flight daily to Kinshasa in the morning, offers 1,813 seats, or 34 per cent, of the eastbound capacity weekly.

In September 2021, Jambojet began operations in the North Kivu capital of Goma in eastern Congo, becoming the first low-cost carrier to fly the route and the only direct flight between Nairobi and the city.

Today, Jambojet flies to the Congolese city 3 times a week, with a return flight to Goma from Nairobi costing about $411. Kenyan traders are also exerting growing influence in the DRC.

Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi speaks during a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, April 30, 2024. (Photo: Christophe Ena/Pool/Reuters)

Fight against rebel groups

In April 2022, over 300 Kenyan investors visited Congolese special economic zones, including North Kivu, Katanga, Mbuji-Mayi, and Lubumbashi.

And as the DRC continued to fight rebel groups, Tshisekedi expressed discontent with Kenya’s Maj. Gen. Jeff Nyagah’s decision not to use the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) under his command to directly confront the M23 rebels.

Nyagah, initially assertive upon his appointment as force commander, later resigned, citing physical threats from “mercenaries” and political pressures.

Kinshasa objected to the EACRF’s role as a buffer force, preferring direct military action over political negotiations.

During a meeting in Bujumbura in February 2023, Tshisekedi admonished Nyagah in the presence of Ruto, urging him “not to aid the M23.”

“You are not there to assist the M23,” Tshisekedi said.

Nyagah’s departure exposed tensions between Nairobi and Kinshasa, prompting Ruto to appoint Maj. General Alphaxard Kiugu as the new commander.

Kinshasa protested, condemning the unilateral appointment of a new commander without consultation.

The diplomatic rift escalated in December last year with the launch of the Congo River Alliance in Nairobi.

This alliance, characterised as a political-military entity, included M23 rebels and other armed groups said to be undermining Tshisekedi’s government.

The DRC accused Kenya of permitting activities involving a group designated as “terrorist”.