President Uhuru Kenyatta got modest reception in Harare on Saturday when he rose to pay tributes to former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe.
Mugabe,95, died last week after a long battle with illness in a Singapore hospital. His death came almost two years after his ouster by army.
When he rose to address sizeable mourners, Uhuru was cheered by ZANU-PF supporters who had turned up to pay their last respect to Mugabe.
“The late Comrade Mugabe was an embodiment of the Pan-African spirit, offering immeasurable assistance and solidarity to many other African countries in their struggles to end colonial rule and apartheid,” Uhuru said.
“As African leaders, we should continue to champion African interests as an enduring tribute to the late Comrade Mugabe and other departed icons of the African political and economic liberation struggle,” he added.
While battling cases against humanity at the Hague, Uhuru had Dr Mugabe defending him vehemently as AU chairman by then.
But the crowd turned chaotic and unreceptive when South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa was given a chance to mourn his former neighbour.
The crowd jeered the South Africa President in reference to recent cases of xenophobic attacks in his country. He was however forced to apologise to the crowd.
"I stand before you as a fellow African to express my regret and apologise for what has happened in our country," Ramaphosa said after one of the organisers tried to calm the crowd.
Mugabe's body will be taken to Mashonaland West on Sunday before it's returned to Harare for burial at Heroes Square Acre, where his mausoleum is being built.