Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa arrived in Kenya on Thursday, July 31, ahead of a regional summit focused on the peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Mnangagwa, who also serves as Chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), is in the country to attend the Joint East African Community (EAC)–SADC Co-Chairs’ Meeting scheduled for Friday, August 1.
The meeting will bring together regional leaders in Nairobi to consolidate African-led efforts for stability in the DRC.
"Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs H.E. Dr. Musalia Mudavadi has this evening received H.E. Emmerson Mnangagwa, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), who is in the country for the Joint East African Community (EAC)–Southern African Development Community (SADC) Co-Chairs’ Meeting, scheduled for tomorrow, August 1, 2025," the State Department for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs said.
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The meeting is expected to serve as a critical forum for both blocs to synchronize their mediation strategies in eastern DRC.
The summit will also include a briefing by the Panel of Facilitators who are spearheading the ongoing mediation efforts.
"The Nairobi meeting brings together regional leadership with a focus on the ongoing peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and will also serve as a briefing session with the Panel of Facilitators steering the mediation efforts," the statement added.
Mnangagwa's visit comes close to six months after Mudavadi and Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya travelled to Harare, Zimbabwe, to attend a joint ministerial meeting between EAC and SADC.
In an update on Monday, March 17, the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary noted that the meeting aimed to address the ongoing security crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
On arrival, Mudavadi was received by Kenya’s chargé d'affaires at the Kenyan Embassy in Harare, Justine Ikumiru.
He co-chaired the meeting alongside Zimbabwe’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Prof. Amon Murwira, who also serves as the Chairperson of the SADC Council of Ministers.
“This is a follow-up engagement under the Dar es Salaam resolutions of the joint summit of the Heads of State and Government held on February 8, 2025,” a statement from the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary noted.
