Trade and investments at risk as relations between Kenya and Congo sink farther
From left: Zimbabwe President and SADC Chairperson Emmerson Mnangagwa, Kenya’s President and EAC Chairperson William Ruto, and AUC Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf during a meeting with the panel of facilitators for the DRC peace process at State House in Nairobi, Kenya, on August 1, 2025.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Kenya have not always been close friends. However, being members of the same economic bloc and having to trade with each other has meant they relate cordially.
But the relationship has been getting cold over the past three years. The war in eastern Congo and its attendant side shows have not made things any easier. In fact, relations between Nairobi and Kinshasa seem to have worsened. Yet, commerce between the two sides appears to defy the odds.
