The lone woman in the race to replace Kabila

Tension is mounting in the mineral-rich but politically unstable Democratic Republic of Congo as the November 2016 presidential election draws closer.

The situation has been aggravated by recent actions that have been interpreted by rivals as manoeuvres by the incumbent, President Joseph Kabila, to seek a third term against the constitutional limit.

A constitutional court ruling in May that authorised President Kabila to continue overseeing the affairs of the state beyond his second term in December, was facing stiff opposition from his rivals, including the lone woman aspirant, Dr Monique Mukuna Mutombo.

All the five people who have already declared their interest in the upcoming election were challenging the court ruling, which they see as a travesty of justice.

Dr Mutombo, 42, who declared her candidacy in early March 2016, thinks the time had come for a woman to be at the helm of the country.

She thinks it was time for women whose population was over 60 per cent, to rule DR Congo to change the governance narrative.

Good managers

“As you know, the solution to the instability in the DR Congo is not the exclusive preserve of men. Women can even do it better. Women have proven to be good managers during periods of strife and conflict. Ellen Johnson has done it in Liberia,” she said in an interview with the Africa Review.

DRC, reckons Dr Mutombo, cannot continue to wallow in poverty in the midst of plenty.

“I am frustrated to see that the DRC is among the poorest countries in the world while being so potentially rich,” said Dr Mutombo.

“It is a shame that my country is better known only by the level of wealth of its leaders, while the population is living in abject poverty, poor health and starvation.”

Food security

According to the presidential aspirant, the DRC economy had suffered from poor and misplaced policies under Kabila, which had put its citizens in dire need of health facilities, electricity, good education, clean potable water and food security.

Dr Mutombo promises to bring a new stimulating perspective she call the ‘woman power’.

“I would seek to provide new policies and laws that would assist this beautiful country lead in doing business, attract investment, grow the economy and create wealth, the woman touch in development,” she promises.

Dr Mutombo, who is going into the election as an independent candidate, is aware of the allegations that President Kabila was trying to delay the elections in order to remain in power.

She said the incumbent had only been working for himself and a small group of his cronies and allies, while committing grave human rights violations, resulting in the death of citizens and the looting of the country’s mineral resources to benefit himself and his circle.

“He is now desperate to remain in power to protect himself from international pursuits on human right violations. He is plundering DRC's wealth and working with a clique of people around him as well as some economic interest groups and lobbies who seek to protect their business in the country,” Dr Mutombo said of President Kabila’s tenure.

The 42-year-old entrepreneur was also aware of the escalating political tension in major cities, amid fears many lives could be lost, and wants the international community to take an interest in the protests in DRC.

“I consider those protests as a volcano that can erupt any time and no one will be able to stop it. DRC is not like some other countries in the region, it is very volatile. In the past, I have seen Kinshasa becoming so uncontrollable that Mobutu (Sese Seko) who considered himself as a demi god, had to flee the country without notice,” said Dr Mutombo.

On the streets

She promises to also be on the streets together with her supporters if President Kabila fails to respect the constitution to call elections this year.

Though it not clear how much support she commands, Dr Mutombo thinks her family and millions others were moving along with her to stand the challenge.

“How can you claim to be a president if you cannot respect the laws that you swore to protect and defend?” she questioned of President Kabila’s scheme to cling to power after his second mandate.

“Trying to forcefully stay in power will only make him do more mistakes that will not benefit the country, himself or his family. My wish for him is that he surprises everyone by giving to the nation its right: the respect of the constitution,” the lone woman presidential aspirant advised the incumbent, promising to put mechanisms in place [when she becomes president] to make her predecessor the first senator for life as recommended by the country’s constitution.

Belated entry

A business management graduate of Liverpool University in England, Dr Mutombo started active politics only early this year, but says her belated entry was not an impediment as she has a wealth of experience in leading positions in other fields.

She served for more than five years as head of a multinational company.

She believes she boasts a better understanding of the economic context of the DR Congo, enriched with her motherly instincts.

Election office

“Wherever I have been while working in the DRC, as the head of administration and finance in the operational office of election office of Katanga, or as the person in charge of a South African private company, or representing multinational companies at a regional level,…I have been representing the Congolese people in doing my duty with conscience and dignity. I have never lost a chance to influence a decision that had to be taken towards my country…I was already doing politics, but in a less visible way,” she stated.

Unlike Dr Mutombo, other DRC opposition aspirants have formed coalitions to oppose President Kabila.

“I have seen (Etienne) Tshisekedi around since I was 16 years. I came to see him as a solution to the problems of the DRC. Now, seeing him teaming up with Moise Katumbi, I understand better why he has never been the president, but only a life time contestant,” Dr Mutombo said of the coalition formed by some opposition party leaders.

Private militia

She claimed Mr Katumbi had a private militia to terrify whoever did not agree with him when he served as governor of Katanga Province under President Kabila.

“Ten years later, when the Joseph Kabila ship is showing signs of soon sinking, it is very easy to self declare to be in the opposition to be sure of being part of the next system to continue to make Congolese suffer and remain poor,” Dr Mutombo said, wondering which combination the two (Tshisekedi and Katumbi) would offer the Congolese people.

Dr Mutombo is a mother of two girls.