NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 16 – Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Leader Raila Odinga has now asked Deputy President William Ruto to apologize to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over his remarks that the Central African country has no single cow.
Odinga in a statement noted that he was disappointed by Ruto’s remarks which he said were “a manifestation of a reckless lack of vision and foresight, a pathetic failure to see where opportunities abound for Kenya”.
“The attack by the DP was unwarranted and very short sighted. He must own up and apologize to the government and people of the Democratic Republic of Congo,” he said.
Ruto made the remarks on Monday during a tour of Nyeri County where he indicated that DRC had no single cow and Kenya could commit to selling them milk.
The former Prime Minister noted that it was unfortunate that President Uhuru Kenyatta had invested heavily in building a stronger partnership with DRC while his deputy had resorted to straining the two countries bilateral ties.
“Personally I reserve great respect and admiration for the people of the DRC for their resilience and determination that has seen them keep their country going despite significant political and economic instability that erupted soon after independence,” he said.
Odinga cited the 2021 signed agreement that saw the two nations commit towards promoting economic, technical, scientific and socio-cultural cooperation on the basis of the principles of sovereign equality and mutual benefit.
“With the agreement we are looking forward to very strong ties in the fields of trade, agriculture, livestock development and fisheries, finance, environmental conservation, education, mining among other areas for the benefit of our people,” he said.
The government has since affirmed Kenya’s commitment to a respectful relationship with DRC following Ruto’s remarks which continue to elicit mixed reactions.
Kenya’s Ambassador to DRC George Masafu in a statement committed to encourage a strong partnership between the two countries especially during this period when DRC is preparing to join the East African Community block.
“The Kenya Embassy wishes to reiterate that the government and the people of Kenya share a deep and a respectful historical relationship with the government and the people of DRC. This relationship stretches back to the independence of our respective countries,” he stated.
Masafu noted that Kenya is committed towards encouraging a partnership between the two countries especially during this period when DRC is preparing to join the East African Community block.
“Kenya is confident that these relations will be entrenched through government-to-government frameworks and people to people partnerships that have been built in the last years,” he said.
