PHOTOS: Ruto takes Uhuru on tour around State House
By Faith Lagat, August 1, 2025In a symbolic show of statesmanship, President William Ruto hosted Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta for a tour of State House, Nairobi, following the conclusion of a landmark joint EAC-SADC summit on peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Friday, August 1, 2025.
Ruto took Uhuru around, where he caught a glimpse of various renovations being undertaken. From the interior look to the facade of the new-look State House, with a flat roof, were among the revamped infrastructural features Uhuru saw during the tour.
From the photos, some areas within the State House were still under repair with loose cabro, and scaffolding was still in place to support workers.
“I had the pleasure of conducting my old good friend, Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, on a tour around State House after the joint EAC-SADC meeting on the restoration of peace and stability in the DRC,” President Ruto shared on August 1, 2025, on his X, highlighting the personal and diplomatic weight of the interaction.
This was the first time Uhuru returned to the house on the hill after handing over power on September 13, 2022.
The joint EAC-SADC summit
The summit, co-chaired by President Ruto, who currently chairs the East African Community (EAC), and Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the SADC Chairperson, marked a decisive moment in regional diplomacy.
The high-level meeting brought together African leaders and mediators in an effort to harmonise ongoing peace processes and establish a united front to address the protracted conflict in eastern DRC.
New mediation path unveiled
The Nairobi summit featured a panel of distinguished African statespersons, including Uhuru Kenyatta, Nigeria’s Olusegun Obasanjo, Ethiopia’s Sahle-Work Zewde, Botswana’s Mokgweetsi Masisi, and former Central African Republic President Catherine Samba-Panza. The panel has been tasked with leading a consolidated mediation process, merging the EAC’s Nairobi Process with the SADC-backed Luanda Process into one African-led initiative.
The joint communique released at the end of the summit outlined significant resolutions: the formation of a Joint Secretariat under the African Union Commission (AUC) in Addis Ababa, a single terms-of-reference for all facilitators, and a Resource Mobilisation Framework to support peacebuilding and humanitarian assistance in the DRC.
“This is about charting an African path to peace. We must harmonise our strengths and speak with one voice,” the communique stated.
Diplomatic balancing act
The summit comes at a time when tensions between some regional states, including Kenya and Tanzania, have threatened to undercut unity within the EAC. Yet, Kenya’s role as host and Ruto’s cooperation with his predecessor demonstrated the country’s commitment to regional dialogue.
Uhuru emphasised that the new approach is not about sidelining existing efforts but about strengthening them through unity. “This is not about replacing one process with another, but fusing our efforts to make them stronger,” he said.
As the two leaders walked side-by-side through the corridors of power, their rare public reunion sent a message of reconciliation and national cohesion—offering a moment of hope not just for Kenya, but for a continent striving to deliver African solutions to African challenges.