- Congo wanted Kenya to arrest the members of the newly formed alliance.
- However, Kenya distanced itself from a press conference saying the country allows freedom of expression.
Image: HANDOUT
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has denounced the Nangaa-led Congo River Alliance after it held a presser in Nairobi.
The presser saw a group of Congolese opposition leaders teamed up with M23 rebels to announce the alliance.
In a statement on Monday, Uhuru, who is the Facilitator of the East African Community (EAC) led Nairobi Peace process said he was shocked by the developments.
"I repudiate these developments, particularly their military character, and the accompanying politically charged and provocative rhetoric," he said.
"I restate my support for the US-brokered ceasefire and continue to seek its indefinite extension to facilitate the peace-building process, put an end to the senseless killing and suffering of the people of the eastern DRC, and set the stage for a resumption of the Nairobi peace process, and the brokering of lasting peace in the troubled region of the eastern DRC."
The new alliance has become an additional concern in a region where insecurity has persisted for decades.
The Congo government took issue with the formation of the new alliance and the Nairobi presser leading to the recall of its ambassador to Kenya.
President William Ruto on Sunday said the DRC wanted Kenya to arrest the group but that could not be implemented because "freedom of expression is allowed".
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said the country had no hand in the organisation and outcome of the presser.
"The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Kenya refers to press reports that some nationals of the Democratic Republic of Congo claiming association with rebel groups within DRC addressed a press conference in Nairobi and made statements that are prima facie inimical to the constitutional order of theDemocratic Republic of Congo," Mudavadi said.
"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."
While commenting on the recalling of the Ambassador on Sunday, President William Ruto Kenya could not intervene as every country has its own democracy.
"If they (DRC) decide they want to recall their ambassador because a statement was issued in Nairobi that is their right," he said at State House.