Flying President Ruto held down by Gen Z

Once a globe-trotting president, William Ruto is now held back in the country as the youth holds their twice-weekly nationwide protests.

Ruto has so far skipped or rescheduled six trips abroad.

Last week, Dr Ruto missed the sixth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union (AU) in Accra, Ghana, three trips within Africa, two trips to Europe, and one trip to the United States.

Ruto, appointed in February as the AU Champion for Institutional Reform, a post initially held by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, had made 62 visits to 38 countries in his first 20 months in office.

Since the protests began on June 18, which have left at least 50 people dead according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, the President’s travels have, however, been limited to within the country. He has toured Nyandarwa, Kajiado, and Bomet.

This limited travel, according to high-placed sources, is meant to address the protests in which Generation Z (Gen Z) are demanding reforms, accountability, and good leadership, from his administration.

“I have said going forward, I will protect the nation,” Ruto said on Sunday, addressing a roadside gathering after attending a church service at Africa Gospel Church in Chebango, in Bomet County. 

The President was responding to protesters’ threats that they will “occupy” the Central Business District (CBD) and major towns across the country.

“They said we should not pass the Finance Bill, and I dropped it. Then I called them, and they said they didn’t want to come for talks with me. They told me to go to X [spaces], and I went there, but they ran away,” Ruto said.

Previously dubbed a “flying president” with a penchant for lengthy speeches on global platforms, Ruto skipped the AU meeting attended by Egypt Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, and his Ghanaian Counterpart Nana Akufo-Addo, among other heads of state and top government officials. The meeting, which started on July 18, focused on education as a key driver of growth, inclusion, and improved quality of life.

“Part of the agenda of the two-day ministerial meeting was elections and appointments of officials to African Union organs and institutions,” Doreen Apollos, of the AU Directorate of Information and Communication, said in a statement.

In contrast to his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta, who made 22 official trips outside the country during his ten-year rule, Ruto has visited Belgium, China, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Germany, Israel, Mozambique, The Netherlands, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, and Zambia, among others. These trips often involved top state officials, and the use of hired luxury jets that cost taxpayers billions of shillings every year, according to Auditor General Nancy Gathungu.

“When I saw the debate in Kenya as to how I traveled to the US, there were all manner of figures. People saying it cost Sh200 million to travel because I wanted to arrive in style, holding Rachel’s (First Lady) hand. I am a very responsible steward. There is no way I can spend Sh200 million. In fact, let me disclose here that the trip cost Kenya less than Sh10 million. I am not a madman. When I was told the cheapest plane was Sh70 million, I instructed my office to book KQ (Kenya Airways). Some friends heard I was going to travel with KQ, asked how much I was paying, and then offered me a plane for Sh10 million.”

Ruto’s last trip was in early June to South Korea, where he announced, in a BBC interview, that he would be flying to Egypt to attend a dialogue on peace in conflict areas like Somalia, the DRC, and Sudan.

“It was a candid conversation I had, for example, with President Biden. I was very categorical that it doesn’t look fair that the war in Ukraine is receiving attention, the war in Gaza is receiving attention, while the serious situations in Somalia, the DRC, and Sudan are not receiving attention,” Ruto said.

The President’s aides and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the trip arrangement had been finalised, with the advance team flying to Egypt a month earlier to discuss a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries.

The state visit organized in March was to finalise the creation of a vibrant Kenya-Egypt Joint Commission for Cooperation. Egypt’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry, who brought a special message from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, visited Kenya on March 7 before Kenyan officials left for Egypt.

“Kenya and Egypt enjoy cordial diplomatic relations marked by a shared commitment to pan-Africanism and peaceful coexistence. The recent Kenya-Egypt Joint Commission for Cooperation ended with the signing of MoUs on renewable energy, maritime affairs, veterinary services, and arts and culture,” Ruto said on March 7.

“The technical team from across the government sectors had flown to Europe. Ruto would have used to the meeting, and others, to campaign for Opposition leader Raila Odinga for the AU Commission chairman seat,” said a top Foreign Affairs official. “But he has not left the country since Gen Z started demonstrating on June 18.”

As a result, Ruto called Egypt President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Saturday. The Presidency Spokesman and Counsellor, Dr Ahmed Fahmy, said the call tackled a multitude of issues in the African arena.

“The two presidents agreed to continue intensive consultations in the coming period on all issues of mutual concern,” Fahmy said in a press statement posted on www.presidency.ge on Saturday.

The trip to Egypt was to be followed by visits to Tanzania and South Africa, amid concerns that these countries were interested in fielding a candidate for the AU commission against Odinga.

“After Tanzania, he was to head to South Africa, then Nato in the US. There is also a pending trip to Turkey,” a source privy to Foreign Affairs issues said.

After South Africa, it was unclear if President Ruto would return to Nairobi before flying to the Nato summit in Washington, USA, held a week ago to discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The alliance was set to discuss threats posed by China and the security situation in the Indo-Pacific region.

US President Joe Biden designated Kenya as a major non-Nato ally during the latter’s visit to the US in May.