Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

- The government has denied claims of a diplomatic row between Kenya and South Sudan following former prime minister Raila Odinga’s recent mediation efforts in Juba.

The controversy stems from Raila’s remarks after returning from Juba, where he alleged that South Sudan’s First Vice President Riek Machar and his wife, Interior Minister Angelina Teny, were under house arrest.

Additionally, he claimed that President Salva Kiir had directed him to consult Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni regarding the situation in South Sudan.

However, Juba strongly refuted these claims with President Kiir’s press secretary, David Amuor Majur, denying that Teny was under house arrest, calling Raila’s assertions unfounded and misleading.

Furthermore, the South Sudanese government dismissed Raila’s claim that President Kiir had instructed him to seek Museveni’s intervention.

Instead, they clarified that Raila’s meeting with Museveni had been prearranged and was not a directive from the Government of South Sudan.

However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has moved to clear the air over the claims threatening Kenya's relations with Africa's youngest nation.

In a statement on Wednesday, April 2, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei dismissed the reports, terming them not factual.

"Not an iota of fact in this report," Sing'Oei stated.

Amid the brewing tensions, the African Union Commission (AUC) has dispatched a high-level delegation from the AU Panel of the Wise to Juba to de-escalate the crisis.

The AUC reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the full implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

AUC Chairperson Mahmoud Youssouf Ali emphasized the need for all parties to uphold the provisions of the agreement, stating that the AU remains actively engaged with IGAD, the East African Community (EAC), and the United Nations to support South Sudan’s transition to lasting peace.

Elsewhere, President William Ruto triggered a diplomatic dispute with Serbia after Kenya formally recognised Kosovo’s independence.

The move, announced during a meeting with Kosovo’s Foreign Minister, Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz, has drawn sharp criticism from Serbian officials, who accused Kenya of undermining ongoing dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

Serbia, which considers Kosovo a breakaway province, has long resisted international recognition of its former territory’s sovereignty.

In response, Serbia’s Foreign Ministry warned that the decision could harm bilateral relations.

Source: TUKO.co.ke