The airborne President

President William Ruto arrives in South Africa for an official visit. [PCS]

President William Ruto will spend more than half of this month outside the country as Kenyans continue grappling with various crises that his administration has been accused of orchestrating.

This week, the President held bilateral talks with South Africa president Cyril Ramaphosa to strengthen relations between two of Africa’s leading economies in a three-day State visit.

The ‘high level diplomatic engagement’ visit, according to the South Africa presidency, was designed to improve cooperation between Nairobi and Pretoria.

 “South Africa and Kenya enjoy long-standing, mutually beneficial and cordial relations that were re-established in 1994. South Africa values Kenya as a strategic partner in the East African region and on the continent,” the statement from the South African presidency read.

From South Africa, Ruto will proceed to Brussels in Belgium, for yet another bilateral cooperation meeting with King Philippe at the Royal Palace.

Diplomatic tour

On June 10 to June 11, Ruto will hop to Finland for a diplomatic tour ‘‘expected to strengthen Kenya’s global partnerships and expand economic cooperation with Europe.’’

The visit will be hosted by the President of the Republic of Finland, Alexander Stubb, and his spouse, Suzanne Innes-Stubb, and will mark the first State visit by a Kenyan president to Finland since former President Daniel Moi travelled to the country in 1987.

According to a statement shared by the Office of the President of the Republic of Finland, the visit to Finland will centre on strengthening diplomatic relations, expanding trade ties, and enhancing cooperation on global issues, including reform of the multilateral system, peace mediation, and development of the United Nations framework.

 “The key themes of the State visit are deepening bilateral relations between Finland and Kenya and strengthening cooperation between the countries in international contexts, reforming the multilateral system, and promoting trade between Finland and Kenya,” the statement read.

President William Ruto boards a jet during one of his trips. [PCS]

Last year in May, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb arrived in Kenya for a three-day State to celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

The visit to Finland will centre on strengthening diplomatic relations, expanding trade ties, and enhancing cooperation on global issues, including reform of the multilateral system, peace mediation, and development of the United Nations framework.

The two leaders are also expected to discuss regional stability issues in Africa and Europe, as well as global geopolitical developments, including the situation in the Middle East.

President Ruto’s schedule includes a luncheon hosted by Helsinki Mayor Daniel Sazonov, a wreath-laying ceremony at Hietaniemi Cemetery, a meeting with Speaker of Parliament Jussi Halla-aho, participation in a panel discussion titled “The Promise of Peace” focused on UN reform and global mediation, and a gala dinner hosted by the Finnish presidential couple at the Presidential Palace.

On June 12, Ruto will travel to France for the G7 Summit scheduled for June 15-17 in Évian-les-Bains, where leaders will discuss security. Economy and geopolitical challenges.

The Évian summit is expected to bring together leaders from the Group of Seven countries to deliberate on pressing global challenges, including economic recovery, climate action, and sustainable development.

Ruto is out of the country after spending only 15 days after returning to the country from Baku, Azerbaijan, and Astana, Kazakhstan, where he globe-trotted for World Urban Forum (WUF13) and ‘strengthening diplomatic and economic cooperation’ respectively.

The President visited Baku  on May 19 to showcase Kenya’s progress in affordable housing and sustainable urban development and later went to Astana in a world tour that left Kenyans tax payers coughing more on his travel costs.

He visited the two countries as Kenyans went to the streets to agitate against fuel hikes that they claimed was unjustified at the time Kenyans were reeling from the high cost of living.

President William Ruto boards a jet during one of his trips. [PCS]

After getting back into the country on May 21, Ruto landed in Mombasa where he met a section of public transport stakeholders and managed to convince them to call off the protests even without meeting any of their demands and proceeded with his four-day political tour of the coastal region.

It was during this tour that the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Hassan Omar made ethnic remarks against Mt Kenya region in the presence of the President who did not address the matter.

After completing his coastal tour, Ruto returned to Nairobi for a National Prayer breakfast on May 28 before heading to Wajir to spearhead the Madaraka day celebrations and later a political tour of the region before briefly returning to Nairobi yesterday to ostensibly prepare for a long diplomatic tour this month.

Ruto’s air costs come with a heavy price; he is known for his costly jets that costs tax payer’s at least Sh3.2 million per hour, going by the last jet that he spent to the Baku and Astana, which translated to half a billion for one week that the President was out of the country.

At the height of Gen Z protests in 2024, President Ruto pledged austerity measures that included a 50 per cent budget cut on travel and entertainment but the promise remained just that since reports from the auditor general revealed that travel expenditure has frequently remained high or even increased despite the announced austerity directives

In the 2024/25 Financial year, the government spent Sh5.1 billion on foreign travel during the first nine months of the 2024/25 financial year, raising concerns about the effectiveness of austerity measures under Ruto’s administration (See separate story).

According to analysts, a tray of disregarded promises continues to weigh heavily on Kenyans who are now scrutinizing his every move with a magnifying glass.

Elias Mutua, a governance analyst, noted that Ruto was his biggest undoing  when it comes to breaking and not fulfilling his own undertakings.

“Some of the travels by the President do not even make sense to the economy of our country. In Astana, for example, it would be very interesting to know that our country stood to benefit from his travel vis-à-vis the monies he spent out there,” Mutua noted.

The opposition leaders and critics have pointed out that these foreign trips, though pitched by the administration to attract economic partnerships, have not yielded visible, immediate benefits for ordinary Kenyans dealing with the high cost of living.