Trust deficit is Africa’s biggest threat to peace efforts - Uhuru warns

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has warned that a deficit of trust is the most pressing challenge undermining peace efforts across Africa.

Speaking during the Johannesburg Arbitration Week 2026, Kenyatta noted that while agreements can be reached in conflict mediation, sustaining them is far more complex due to broken trust between governments and citizens, and among communities.

Kenyatta made the remarks as part of the “Statesmen in Dialogue: Leadership and Dispute Resolution in Africa” high-level panel, which brought together former heads of state to share insights on mediation and governance.

Drawing from his experience in South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he emphasised that governance, inclusion, and equitable resource distribution are central to resolving Africa’s conflicts.

He cautioned that fragmentation within continental institutions has weakened cohesion compared to the unity of early Pan-Africanism, stressing that “unity is not just an ideal, it is a necessity.”

The three-day forum, hosted by the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa, convened arbitrators, policymakers, business leaders and academics under the theme “Arbitration in a fragmented global order: the future of trade, investment and sustainable development.”

High-level participants included former Presidents Joaquim Chissano, Goodluck Jonathan, and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.