List: Ruto's first-half foreign trips in 2026 vs 2025

President William Ruto embarking in a foreign trip. [PCS]

President William Ruto's international travel continues to spark public debate, with questions emerging over the frequency, cost and value of presidential trips.

But exactly how many foreign trips has the President made in the first half of 2026?

Ruto's first foreign trip of the year came on February 13, when he travelled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the 39th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly. He remained in the Ethiopian capital through February 15 as African leaders met to discuss regional and continental matters.

The President later travelled to Rome, Italy, on April 20 and 21 for an official visit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties, trade and economic cooperation.

His next foreign engagement came with a two-day state visit to Tanzania from May 4 to May 5. Later in the month, the President travelled to Azerbaijan before proceeding to Kazakhstan for bilateral talks and economic engagements.

A planned trip to the Republic of the Congo in late May did not proceed due to the Ebola outbreak.

June recorded the busiest period of Ruto's international schedule during the first half of the year.

He travelled to South Africa from June 3 to June 5 before beginning a European tour on June 7, covering Belgium, Norway and Finland, with the Finland leg running from June 10 to June 11.

The President later attended G7 meetings in France before concluding the first half of the year with a visit to Madagascar from June 25 to June 27, where he joined the country's Independence Day celebrations.

Ruto has made eight international trips during the first six months of the year, visiting 11 countries across Africa, Europe and Asia.

Ruto's trips in 2025

However, the number of trips is lower compared to the same period in 2025.

During the first six months of 2025, the President made 12 international trips across 11 countries.

The year began with a series of foreign engagements in January, when Ruto travelled to Ghana, Angola, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates, Tanzania and Egypt.

In February, he returned to Tanzania for the joint SADC-EAC summit before travelling to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the African Union Summit.

His international schedule continued in March with a trip to Namibia, followed by a visit to China in April. Later that month, he travelled to Vatican City.

Towards the end of June, Ruto also travelled to Spain for a financing conference.

While the number of trips has reduced in 2026, the number of countries visited has remained largely unchanged.

Cost

While the 2010 Constitution places no cap on the number of foreign trips a sitting President can make, questions continue to be raised over the cost of financing such visits and what they mean for taxpayers, especially around the use of chartered aircraft.

Industry estimates place the cost of chartering some high-end business jets at between Sh1 million and Sh1.7 million per flight hour, although the final amount can vary depending on the aircraft used, route, operational costs and security requirements.

During his trip to Baku, Azerbaijan, reports indicated that President Ruto used a Boeing 737-8DV business jet. Separate estimates suggested the cost of the flight could run into tens of millions of shillings, excluding additional costs associated with delegations and logistics.

However, President Ruto has defended his foreign travel, maintaining that international engagements are aimed at advancing Kenya's development agenda and securing opportunities for the country.

"Sometimes they ask why the President has travelled abroad or met leaders from different parts of the world. That is the job I was elected to do," he said.