William Ruto Returns To United Arab Emirates For COP28 Days After Visiting Saudi Arabia For Summit

• The Kenyan president chairs the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC)
• He would be flying to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the foregoing capacity to represent his African counterparts in the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP 28)
• William Ruto charged himself with being at the forefront of championing climate change interventions and efforts to combat carbon emissions

President William Ruto is set to depart for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday, November 30.

Details of Ruto's visit to UAE

He would be gracing the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP 28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) where he will advocate for Kenya and Africa's climate agenda.

Ruto tasked himself with championing climate change interventions and combating carbon emissions.

This would be the second conference he is attending in his capacity as Kenya's president and chair of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), after another one in Egypt in September 2022, in which he strived to "shift the African climate narrative from victimhood to opportunity."

"Participating from November 30 to December 2, 2023, at COP 28 alongside 100 global leaders, President Ruto will emphasize transformative climate action urgently needed to correct the world's current trajectory.

He will deliver 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 2023," party read a dispatch from State House, Nairobi.

Ruto is on record calling for the employment of green energy to subdue the after-effects of the carbon emitters.

Ruto on carbon tax

In September, the president called on the African states to sanction carbon tax, with the proceeds channelled toward green energy funding.

The president, while dissecting the New Global Climate Finance Architecture during the Africa Climate Summit (ACS) held at Nairobi's Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC), observed that the continent was yet to tap into the aforementioned tax regime that he said has the blessing of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Ruto noted that the tax imposed on carbon emitters would cover the shortfall in financing climate change interventions.

He said at least KSh 870 billion (equivalent to $6 billion) would be sourced from there.

"The other option we need to have a conversation about is the carbon tax. This is a very controversial thing, but it is the right thing to converse about regardless of the controversy. If we have to raise the scale of resources needed for energy transition, then we must have a conversation about the carbon tax.

In fact, the numbers speak to it. The IMF has actually done a lot of work around it and they have told us it is possible to raise KSh 870 billion from the carbon tax. The only problem IMF is pointing to us is that there is insufficient political will and challenges to that," he said.

The president had previously pointed out that the IMF and such multilateral funders like the World Bank were dotted with bureaucracy that impedes African countries and those from the global south from making strides against poverty and climate change mitigation.

The UAE travel would be Ruto's second to the Gulf this month and fourth overall after ones to Germany and Tanzania.

On November 10, the president landed in Saudi Arabia to grace the inaugural Saudi-Africa summit.

Why Ruto was in Saudi Arabia

The Kenyan head of state joined other African leaders for the foregoing summit to enhance political coordination, address regional security threats, promote economic transformation through research and the local development of new energy solutions, and boost 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 gobbled up in foreign travel

A report by the Controller of Budget 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 important to the country, Ndii appeared to be of a different opinion.

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