President William Ruto has jetted out of the country for Congo Brazzaville.
The Head of State will attend the Three Basins climate change conference which brings together countries with the three major forest basins in the world.
Participants include countries hosting the Congo Forest, the Amazon and Borneo-Mekong Forest Basins.
As per the organizers, the summit will set the stage for discussions touching on ways to step up protection of the world’s biodiversity.
Notably, President Ruto assumed the role of the Chairperson of the Committee of the African Heads of the African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC).
In his position, the Head of State has championed Africa’s active participation in climate action and environmental conservation.
However, his increased foreign engagements have continued to raise eyebrows.
His traveling spree has seen Kenyans raise questions on the value accrued from the trips which are gobbling billions of taxpayers’ revenue.
In the month of October alone, for example, the President has toured China, Saudi Arabia, and now Congo Brazzaville.
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Since his ascension to power, the President has spent over 80 days outside Kenya in various foreign trips for both state and official visits.
Ruto takes firm stance on foreign trips
Interestingly, the President has been on record on several occasions warning government officials against irrelevant foreign trips.
The most recent one was on Thursday, October 26, when announced plans to slash travel expenses by Ksh11 billion.
Ruto, while launching a learning facility in Nairobi noted that the government had banned all travel which does not bring back direct investments or investors.
In an earlier circular sent by Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, the Office of the President announced a ban on all non-essential travels by government officials as part of austerity measures.
However, the puzzle has been distinguishing between essential trips and non-essential ones.
Also Read: President Ruto Flies to the US for High-Level Talks
The President too has been on record advising his cabinet secretaries that not all invitations to international summits should be honored, stating that they should only attend the essential ones and leaving the rests for Kenya’s ambassadors to attend.
But it’s not just his frequent trips abroad that have left Kenyans talking. Back home, Ruto had a tight schedule characterized by trips to various regions.
His operating system since assuming the presidency in 2022 has manifested a leader with the vigor to traverse the country and maintain close connection with the electorate.
Of course, Ruto has also set his eyes on re-election with one year already since he succeeded former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
