Ruto and Uhuru reunite at State House for crucial EAC–SADC summit on DRC peace efforts

In a notable show of unity, President William Ruto and former President Uhuru Kenyatta came together at State House, Nairobi, for a high-level regional summit focused on stabilizing the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The two leaders participated in a joint meeting bringing together the East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) Co-Chairs alongside the Panel of Facilitators for the DRC peace process.

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta, who serves as Kenya’s Special Envoy for Peace in the Great Lakes Region, is expected to play a key role in the deliberations. He joined President Ruto and Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is currently in Kenya for the summit.

The gathering underscores regional commitment to supporting peace, security, and stability in eastern DRC, a region long plagued by armed conflict and political instability.

The summit also seeks to harmonize the ongoing mediation efforts under both the EAC-led Nairobi Process and the SADC-backed Luanda and Goma frameworks. By bringing together top leadership from the two blocs, the initiative hopes to streamline diplomacy and push for urgent action in the troubled Central African nation.

The involvement of both Ruto and Kenyatta, despite their past political differences, sends a strong message of Kenya’s unified stance on regional peacebuilding.