President William Ruto has congratulated his Democratic Republic of Congo counterpart Felix Tshisekedi after his re-election.

Tshisekedi was announced the winner of the presidential race after garnering 73% of the vote, according to the country's electoral body, while his challenger, Moise Katumbi, got 18%.

"Sincere congratulations to my brother, His Excellency Felix Tshisekedi, the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for a well-deserved victory," Ruto said in a statement on X.

Ruto said he is hoping for far better relations with the Central African nation, despite a recent diplomatic tiff between the East African Community member countries.

"The election is a milestone in the democratic history of your nation. I look forward to strengthening Kenya-DRC relations for the mutual benefit of our countries," Ruto added.

The DR Congo elections, conducted on December 20, faced a number of logistical issues and the poll had to be extended to a second day in some parts of the country.

According to BBC, quoting an observer group, about two-thirds of polling stations opened late, while 30% of voting machines did not work on the first day of the vote.

The announcement of the results was welcomed by a call for protests from the candidates who lost to Tshisekedi, 60.

The DR Congo head of state is the son of veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, and was first elected in 2019.

The 18 candidates who contested against the declared winner have not yet stated whether they will challenge the results, but Katumbi is said to have announced he will not take that route because the courts are not independent.

Meanwhile, the country's constitutional court will determine any legal challenge surrounding the election results within 10 days before it announces the final results on January 10, 2024.