While the political climate remains tense in Haut-Katanga, the surprise appointment of Martin Kazembe Shula as interim governor is raising questions and speculation. The backdrop is Governor Jacques Kyabula’s prolonged delay in reaching Kinshasa following an official summons issued by the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of the Interior, Jacquemain Shabani.

It was the Deputy Minister for Customary Affairs, Jean-Baptiste Ndeze Katurebe, who on Wednesday signed the telegram making official the appointment of Martin Kazembe as interim governor. He explained that this measure followed Jacques Kyabula’s failure to respond to the letter from the VPM of the Interior dated 8 July 2025, which formally invited him to Kinshasa for consultation.

“The Governor’s prolonged absence is therefore perceived as a refusal to cooperate with the central authorities. Officially, Jacques Kyabula was supposed to report to Kinshasa on 10 July, but failed to do so. This silence precipitated the intervention of the Ministry of the Interior, via the Cabinet for Customary Affairs, to guarantee the continuity of the provincial executive”, says a source at the Ministry of the Interior.

Between diplomatic pretext and health justification:

But in Lubumbashi, the versions differ. Those close to the outgoing Governor put forward several explanations. According to some sources, the trip was postponed due to the absence of the Minister of the Interior, Jacquemain Shabani, who was on an official mission in Doha, Qatar. This is a puzzling explanation, especially as the summons came from the Deputy Prime Minister in office, and not from his deputy who was temporarily absent.

Other sources indicate that Jacques Kyabula is ill, which would explain his unavailability. This is a plausible hypothesis, but one that has not been confirmed by an official medical bulletin, casting doubt on the reality of the Governor’s state of health.

A controversial outing in the background:

Apart from logistical or health-related explanations, some observers are pointing the finger at Jacques Kyabula’s recent speech at a meeting in Lubumbashi on 1 July. On the sidelines of a rally in support of the DRC-Rwanda agreement, the Governor publicly asserted that the peace negotiations should be conducted solely with the Rwandans and not with Joseph Kabila or Corneille Nangaa, whom he described as “sons of the house” whose problems should be settled locally.

This statement sent shockwaves through the Union Sacrée, the ruling coalition to which he belongs, with several members expressing deep disapproval. For some analysts, this statement put Jacques Kyabula at odds with Kinshasa, gradually isolating him within his own political coalition.

Against this backdrop, the appointment of Martin Kazembe Shula as interim mayor appears to be an attempt to defuse the institutional crisis looming over Haut-Katanga. Officially, the aim is to ensure the continuity of the administration. But in reality, the decision is a political repudiation of Jacques Kyabula, who has been weakened by his silence as much as by his declarations.  Early on Friday, the new interim Governor, under the direction of the Ministry of the Interior, announced that security teams would be mobilised to locate Jacques Kyabula.

Written by Noé Kalemeko