List of prime ministers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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This is a list of prime ministers[b] of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly the Republic of the Congo and Zaire) since the country's independence in 1960.
The current Prime Minister is Judith Suminwa, since 12 June 2024; she is the first woman in the post.[1]
List of officeholders
- Political parties
Democratic Assembly for the Republic (RDR)
Union of Independent Democrats (UID)
- Other affiliations
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Political party | Elected | Government | President(s) (Term) |
Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||||||
| Republic of the Congo / Democratic Republic of the Congo (1960–1965) | |||||||||||
| 1 | Patrice Lumumba (1925–1961) |
24 June 1960 | 5 September 1960 (Dismissed) |
73 days | MNC (Lumumba faction) |
1960 | Lumumba | Joseph Kasa-Vubu (1960–1965) |
|||
| 2 | Joseph Iléo (1921–1994) |
5 September 1960 | 20 September 1960 | 15 days | MNC (Kalonji faction) |
— | Iléo I | ||||
| 3 | Albert Ndele (1930–2023) |
20 September 1960 | 3 October 1960 | 13 days | Independent | — | College of Commissioners-General | ||||
| 4 | Justin Bomboko (1928–2014) |
3 October 1960 | 9 February 1961 | 129 days | UNIMO | — | College of Commissioners-General | ||||
| – | Antoine Gizenga (1925–2019) (disputed)[c] |
13 December 1960 | 5 August 1961 | 235 days | PSA (Gizenga faction) |
— | Free Republic of the Congo | ||||
| (2) | Joseph Iléo (1921–1994) |
9 February 1961 | 2 August 1961 | 174 days | MNC (Kalonji faction) |
— | Iléo II | ||||
| 5 | Cyrille Adoula (1921–1978) |
2 August 1961 | 30 June 1964 | 2 years, 333 days | MNC | — | Adoula | ||||
| 6 | Moïse Tshombe (1919–1969) |
10 July 1964 | 13 October 1965 | 1 year, 95 days | CONACO | — | Tshombe | ||||
| 7 | Évariste Kimba (1926–1966) |
13 October 1965 | 25 November 1965 (Deposed) |
43 days | CONAKAT | 1965 | Kimba | ||||
| Democratic Republic of the Congo / Republic of Zaire (1965–1997) | |||||||||||
| 8 | Léonard Mulamba (1928–1986)[d] |
25 November 1965 | 26 October 1966 | 335 days | Military | — | Mulamba | Mobutu Sese Seko[e] (1965–1997) |
|||
| Post abolished (26 October 1966 – 6 July 1977) | |||||||||||
| 9 | Mpinga Kasenda (1937–1994) |
6 July 1977 | 6 March 1979 | 1 year, 243 days | MPR | 1977 | Kasenda | [3] | |||
| 10 | Bo-Boliko Lokonga (1934–2018) |
6 March 1979 | 27 August 1980 | 1 year, 174 days | MPR | — | Lokonga | ||||
| 11 | Jean Nguza Karl-i-Bond (1938–2003) |
27 August 1980 | 18 April 1981[f] | 234 days | MPR | — | Karl-i-Bond I | ||||
| 12 | N'Singa Udjuu (1934–2021) |
23 April 1981 | 5 November 1982 | 1 year, 196 days | MPR | 1982 | Udjuu | [5] | |||
| 13 | Léon Kengo wa Dondo (born 1935) |
5 November 1982 | 31 October 1986 | 3 years, 360 days | MPR | — | Dondo I | ||||
| Post vacant (31 October 1986 – 22 January 1987) | |||||||||||
| 14 | Mabi Mulumba (born 1941) |
22 January 1987 | 7 March 1988 | 1 year, 45 days | MPR | 1987 | Mulumba | ||||
| 15 | Sambwa Pida Nbagui (1940–1998) |
7 March 1988 | 26 November 1988 | 264 days | MPR | — | Nbagui | ||||
| (13) | Léon Kengo wa Dondo (born 1935) |
26 November 1988 | 4 May 1990 | 1 year, 159 days | MPR | — | Dondo II | ||||
| 16 | Lunda Bululu (born 1942) |
4 May 1990 | 1 April 1991 | 332 days | MPR | — | Bululu | ||||
| 17 | Mulumba Lukoji (1943–1997) |
1 April 1991 | 29 September 1991[g] | 181 days | MPR | — | Lukoji | ||||
| 18 | Étienne Tshisekedi (1932–2017) |
29 September 1991 | 1 November 1991 | 33 days | UDPS | — | Tshisekedi I | [8] | |||
| 19 | Bernardin Mungul Diaka (1933–1999) |
1 November 1991 | 25 November 1991 | 24 days | RDR | — | Diaka | ||||
| (11) | Jean Nguza Karl-i-Bond (1938–2003) |
25 November 1991 | 15 August 1992 | 264 days | UFIR | — | Karl-i-Bond II | ||||
| (18) | Étienne Tshisekedi (1932–2017) |
15 August 1992 | 18 March 1993 | 215 days | UDPS | — | Tshisekedi II | ||||
| 20 | Faustin Birindwa (1943–1999) |
18 March 1993 | 14 January 1994 | 302 days | UDPS | — | Birindwa | ||||
| (13) | Léon Kengo wa Dondo (born 1935) |
6 July 1994 | 2 April 1997 | 2 years, 270 days | UID | — | Dondo III | ||||
| (18) | Étienne Tshisekedi (1932–2017) |
2 April 1997 | 9 April 1997 | 7 days | UDPS | — | Tshisekedi III | ||||
| 21 | Likulia Bolongo (1939–2026) |
9 April 1997 | 16 May 1997 (Deposed) |
37 days | Military | — | Bolongo | [9] | |||
| Democratic Republic of the Congo (1997–present) | |||||||||||
| Post abolished (16 May 1997 – 30 December 2006) | |||||||||||
| 22 | Antoine Gizenga (1925–2019) |
30 December 2006 | 10 October 2008 | 1 year, 285 days | PALU | 2006 | Gizenga I | Joseph Kabila (2001–2019) |
|||
| — | Gizenga II | ||||||||||
| 23 | Adolphe Muzito (born 1957) |
10 October 2008 | 6 March 2012 | 3 years, 148 days | PALU | — | Muzito I | ||||
| — | Muzito II | ||||||||||
| 2011 | Muzito III | ||||||||||
| — | Louis Alphonse Koyagialo (1947–2014) Acting |
6 March 2012 | 18 April 2012 | 43 days | PALU | — | |||||
| 24 | Matata Ponyo Mapon (born 1964) |
18 April 2012 | 17 November 2016 | 4 years, 213 days | PPRD | — | Matata I | ||||
| — | Matata II | ||||||||||
| 25 | Samy Badibanga (born 1962) |
17 November 2016 | 18 May 2017 | 182 days | UDPS | — | Badibanga | ||||
| 26 | Bruno Tshibala (born 1956) |
18 May 2017 | 7 September 2019 | 2 years, 112 days | UDPS | — | Tshibala | ||||
| 2018 | Félix Tshisekedi (2019–present) | ||||||||||
| 27 | Sylvestre Ilunga (born 1947) |
7 September 2019 | 27 April 2021 | 1 year, 232 days | PPRD | — | Ilunga | ||||
| 28 | Sama Lukonde (born 1977) |
27 April 2021 | 12 June 2024 | 3 years, 46 days | ACO | — | Lukonde | ||||
| 29 | Judith Suminwa (born 1967) |
12 June 2024 | Incumbent | 2 years, 52 days | UDPS | 2023 | Suminwa | ||||
Timeline

Rank by time in office
See also
Notes
- After Law No. 90-002 of 5 July 1990 was promulgated, the position of "First State Commissioner" was replaced with "Prime Minister." See Articles 94–98 of the Constitution of Zaire (as amended by Law No. 90-002) for details. Source
- The office of Prime Minister was styled as Chairman of the College of Commissioners-General in 1960–1961 and as First State Commissioner in 1977–1990[a]
- Prime Minister of the Free Republic of the Congo, in rebellion at Stanleyville, during the Congo Crisis.[2]
- Chief of Staff since October 1964, until named Prime Minister after coup of 25 November 1965. Removed from premiership 26 October 1966, following pressure from army high command. Mobutu became head of government as well as head of state.(Sydney Taylor, The New Africans, 1967, p.102)
- Previously named Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; changed name on 10 January 1972 due to the policy of Zairianisation.
- Resigned after the military riots in Kinshasa, during the 1991 Zaire unrest.[6][7]