Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Dr Korir Sing’Oei has hinted at President William Ruto cutting his foreign trips which have sparked widespread condemnation from Kenyans.
President Ruto has visited a record more than 36 foreign countries since he ascended to the presidency after winning the 2022 General Election.
Dr. Korir while speaking in a media interview on July 21, 2024, however said that moving forward, the government would be considering only critical foreign events that must be attended by the Head of State.
According to the PS, this is because of the austerity measures announced by the government due to the financial constraints that were occasioned by the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024.
“We will consider very seriously which events are truly critical and must be attended by the President because that has an additional cost. Perhaps we won’t see the President flying out of the country as frequently.
Korir however defended the President’s foreign travels arguing that the record number of travels made by the Head of State in his first months in office were aimed at building contacts with foreign nations.
PS Korir on Foreign Travels by the President
He further pointed out that the visits were beginning to reduce in his second year compared to the first where according to him, there was a lot of demand for the President.
Also Read: Ruto Explains Why He Hired Private Jet for US State Visit
“The visits were beginning to reduce because in the first year of his term he was building contacts and there was a lot of demand for him, people wanted to hear his voice,” added the PS.
In the 21 months he has been the president, President Ruto has visited not less than 36 nations in a record 63 trips.
If the President were to maintain the pace he has recorded since ascending into Presidency, he could make 180 international trips by the time he completes his first term in office in 2027.
For months, Kenyans have slammed Ruto for his flying appetite, labelling him “a tourist” and chided him that his official residence was the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and not State House.
Also Read: Gachagua Missing as President Ruto Jets Back to the Country
Back in October 2023, President Ruto scoffed at the critics of his foreign trips saying they were a necessary for his delivery as the Head of State.
Ruto made the remarks after jetting in the country from his 39th trip where he defended his overseas trips.
Ruto Defends Foreign Trips
“They are people on my case as to why I am making foreign trips. That’s my mandate as the President. I am the chief agent of Kenya and ambassador who will plan on how the country will move forward,” said Ruto.
According to him, the trips have brought investments in the country through employment opportunities, further pointing out that a bilateral agreement between Kenya and Saudi Arabia that he had overseen would facilitate the employment of 350,000 Kenyans.
“Last week I was in Saudi Arabia, and they said Kenyan people are hardworking, so let’s plan ourselves. We are expecting to sign bilateral agreement with them in another three weeks,” Ruto stated.
President Ruto expressed that he will not shun foreign trips as long as they benefit the country.
Some of the countries the Head of State has traveled to include the United States of America, Italy, United Kingdom, France, Mozambique, Egypt, Eritrea, Rwanda, South Korea, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Since January, Ruto has travelled out more than 19 times, with the main trip being his historic state visit to the United States.
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