William Ruto Flies To Djibouti Days After Returning From India

• William Ruto is set to join his regional counterparts in Djibouti City for the 41st Extra-Ordinary Session of the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government
• This would be the Kenyan president's third international trip between November 30 and December 9
• A previous report by the Controller of Budget indicated KSh 14 billion had been gobbled up in trips for government officials

Djibouti - Kenya's President William Ruto is slated to join his counterparts to assess the goings-on in Sudan and the state of the conflict there.

The 41st Extra-Ordinary Session of the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government session was convened on Saturday, December 9, in Djibouti City.

Ruto would fly the very day with his envoy.

"He will today depart to Djibouti for the session," reported state-owned broadcaster KBC.

The trips by Ruto came in the wake of concerns by some quarters calling for austerity measures in the face of the inflated government spending and new tax regimes to fund the same.

TUKO.co.ke understands that the government pays the president, his deputy, and other top officials more than KSh 150,000 in daily subsistence allowances for each day they are on foreign trips.

The allowances for foreign trips are settled in dollars.

Where was Ruto in past 2 weeks?

This would be Ruto's third international trip in less than two weeks; he was recently in India and Dubai.

On November 30, the president flew to Dubai to grace the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP 28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), where he advocated for Kenya's and Africa's climate agenda.

He also delivered a statement on behalf of Africa, highlighting the continent's priorities and building on the historic African Leaders Nairobi Declaration adopted at the inaugural Africa Climate Summit held in Nairobi in September.

Before COP28, Ruto was in the Gulf, where he joined other African leaders for the inaugural Saudi-Africa summit aimed at enhancing political coordination, addressing regional security threats, promoting economic transformation through research and the local development of new energy solutions, and boosting investment cooperation.

The trip by Ruto came in the wake of concerns by some quarters calling for austerity measures in the face of the inflated government spending and new tax regimes to fund the same.

The government pays the president, his deputy, and other top officials more than KSh 150,000 in daily subsistence allowances for each day they are on foreign trips.

The allowances for foreign trips are settled in dollars.

Billions used in foreign travel

A report by the embattled Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang'o indicated that until March this year, high-ranking officials in the Kenya Kwanza government had spent upward of KSh 14 billion in domestic and foreign travel.

The National Assembly and presidency were pointed as the facets of the government that had spent a considerable chunk of the money.

Reacting to the report, economist David Ndii admitted the government is inessentially extravagant.

Ndii, who chairs the Presidential Council of Economic Advisers, suggested the government may not shun the globetrotting spree anytime soon.

While the state had argued that the travels were essential to the country, Ndii appeared to be of a different opinion.

"Government is wasteful. And this administration has an itchy feet problem," he said.