Kenya has distanced itself from claims of involvement in the internal affairs of Democratic Republic of Congo. This comes hours after DRC recalled its ambassadors from Kenya and Tanzania for consultations after a new Congolese military alliance that includes rebels was launched in the Kenyan capital.
In a statement on Sunday morning, Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi says investigations into the allegations ongoing adding that Kenya is a country where ‘freedom of the press is vouchsafed’.
“Kenya strongly disassociates itself from any utterances or activities likely to injure the peace and security of the friendly Nation of DRC and has commenced investigation to determine the identities of the makers of the statement and the extent to which their utterances fall outside constitutionally protected speech,” Musalia’s statement reads in part.
“The Ministry wishes to note that Kenya is an open and democratic state where freedom of the press is vouchsafed. As such, nationals and non-nationals may engage the Kenyan media without reference to the government,”
The envoy to Tanzania was recalled because Tanzania hosts the headquarters of the East African Community, which Congo also belongs to.
Earlier on Saturday, the Kenyan embassy's head of mission had been summoned to the foreign ministry in Kinshasa. The Kenyan government could not immediately be reached for comment.
On Friday, Congolese politicians and groups including the M23 rebels, who have seized territory in eastern Congo, and Corneille Nangaa, a former Congo election commission chief, launched the Congo River Alliance in Nairobi. By Winfrey Owino, The Standard
