Corneille Nangaa, former chairman of the electoral commission known as CENI, had signed an agreement in Nairobi with M23 and other militants, forming a new alliance to achieve "national unity and stability" in the DRC.
The move prompted an angry response from the DRC government which called the move "unpatriotic behavior" and demanded an explanation from Kenyan officials. Kenya's government distanced itself from Nangaa's actions, saying it "strongly disassociates" from the announcement.
Abraham Luakabuanga, spokesperson for the ruling Union for Democracy and Social Progress, told VOA there is still considerable anger over Nangaa’s alliance with M23, calling it “kind of a rebellion.”
"We are really surprised with this kind of situation that Mr. Nangaa is calling on the table and we do encourage the government... that wrote a letter to authorities of Kenya asking them to stop Mr. Nangaa," he said.
"Since (Nangaa has been) in touch with the M23, this situation is not good at all. And we condemn that situation firmly."
The announcement of the alliance had come just days before the DRC's December 20 election amid security and logistical concerns.
Incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi was declared winner of the disputed poll last week over about 20 other candidates. The constitutional court on Tuesday upheld the results.
Tshisekedi and Nangaa, who lives in exile, had engaged in several public spats prior to the election.
Lawrence Kanyuka, a spokesperson for M23, defended the new alliance as a platform for peace.
"It’s actually a good thing that has never happened to DRC. Finally, we have somebody of that caliber of Mr. Corneille Nangaa, who join forces with M23 with other politicians to actually end the suffering of Congolese," Kanyuka said.
Kanyuka also said that areas under M23 control are peaceful and stable. However, human rights groups have documented scores of cases of mass rapes, murder and other possible war crimes over the past two years.
M23 is one of the largest of the more than 100 militant groups operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It claims to defend the rights of ethnic Tutsis. However, its raids on communities and use of mass executions and sexual assault as weapons have led the United States and U.N. to designate it a terror organization.
The DRC government has struggled for two decades to bring peace to the vast country’s eastern provinces. Its failure to do so led to rising anger against United Nations peacekeeping forces there, and Kinshasa late last year ended a joint stabilization force of troops from the East African Community nations.
VOA's Douglas Mpuga and Peter Clottey contributed to this report. Some information came from AFP.
Forum