Why Ruto’s US and UK debut was an international debacle

Mr Ababu Namwamba must be saluted for pulling through the “unlikely” US-UK trip for Deputy President William Ruto. Unlikely because Dr Ruto’s perception in the West led many to believe that serious leaders and think tanks would not be enthusiastic about meeting him. This was not far-fetched because Dr Ruto’s US, UK debut as a presidential candidate quickly turned into an international debacle.

Tell-tale signs that the DP’s international debut would end disastrously were clear from the onset. The fact that he was accompanied by 31 people, majority of whom had no role to play, was reminiscent of an early 1990s trip by President Daniel arap Moi, which was met with unflattering headlines of “Beggars arrive on a Concord”.

Notably, all 31 in the delegation were fully paid for by Kenyan taxpayers. Upon arrival, the Kenyan Ambassador in Washington, DC, and his counterpart in London accorded Dr Ruto the respect he deserves by receiving him at the airport and chauffeuring him around in their official cars. With this simple act of respect, the government diplomatically debunked Dr Ruto’s allegations of being harassed. Whatever these 31 joyriders went to do could have been done by Mr Namwamba and the embassy staff.

Weak international relations and strategy became obvious when the DP and his team tried to lie about their engagements. First, this was not an official visit because it lacked the traditional engagements the US puts together for senior government officials from strategic countries. Neither the State Department nor any other US agency has confirmed any of Dr Ruto’s alleged meetings. It is only Mr Hussein Mohammed and the DP himself who have been talking of meeting US officials.

Questionable

Even the much-hyped alleged meeting with Undersecretary for African Affairs Mary Catherine Phee is questionable because it does not appear anywhere on the State Department’s website.

Ironically, on March 2, when Dr Ruto is alleged to have met Ms Phee, the Department’s website shows that she held talks with Djibouti’s Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf. One would think a meeting with Kenya’s DP would be bigger news than that of Djibouti’s minister. It doesn’t add up!

The most serious gaffe of this trip was the team’s unsubstantiated claim that they met with senior US National Security Council officials. Two people I spoke with at the White House could not confirm any such meeting. While it is possible that they met junior officers at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building near the White House, the White House website does not mention any meeting with Dr Ruto between March 1 and 5. The DP could have saved himself embarrassment by stating who he met instead of posting strategically taken videos and photos outside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Apart from the shenanigans about meetings with undisclosed government “officials”, other engagements are a catalogue of missed opportunities. Appearances at the Carnegie Endowment and the Center for Strategic International Studies would have been a big deal for Team Ruto but he clearly showed that he did not fully understand the purpose of these forums.

These are serious think tanks that provide platforms for top presidential contenders to beef up their diplomatic credentials and showcase their understanding of international relations.

Instead of seizing the opportunities presented by the uncharacteristically friendly moderators to tell what a Ruto presidency would mean for US-Kenya and world strategic relations, the DP used the platform to repeat his grievance politics and make baseless allegations as if he was addressing a political rally back in Kenya.

Congresswoman Karen Bass, chair of the US Congress Committee on Foreign Relations, appeared virtually for less than 10 minutes and appeared to acknowledge Kenya’s progress more than Dr Ruto did. She magnanimously gave him an opportunity to explain how her committee could help Kenyan youth acquire skills and sought his suggestions on how to improve the Africa Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) by making it permanent. Dr Ruto squandered the opportunity by choosing to dwell on his “Hustler” and wheelbarrow rhetoric. Ms Bass’ staff reminded her that she had other engagements and she left. That was embarrassing.

Most dramatic

Finally, the trip to Nebraska was the most dramatic because it showed desperation. Dr Ruto so badly needed photo ops with a “senior” government official. Mr Laban Njuguna, a Kenyan entrepreneur who brews and sells Kenyan coffee in Grand Island, is said to have put together the show to give the DP some bragging rights.

Mr Njuguna has previously organised meetings between Nebraska and Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture officials and another engagement with Kiambu Governor James Nyoro to discuss coffee markets and food security. Whatever there is for Kenya to learn from Nebraska is already on the ground in Kenya. The DP’s visit there was therefore a joke. His team also seemed to understand they were there for photo ops.

If what Ruto did in Washington is anything to go by, the UK leg could be an even bigger disaster.