William Ruto Slept In Plane For 2 Days During Trip To France, Kipchumba Murkomen Says

• Roads and Transport cabinet secretary Kipchumba Murkomen argued that President William Ruto's trips are usually back-to-back with no time for luxury
• Murkomen claimed that Ruto had spent two nights on the plane ahead of bilateral talks aimed at benefiting the country
• He added that the Kenya Kwanza administration is concerned with transforming the infrastructure sector in the next five years

Nancy Odindo, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics, news, and feature stories across digital and print media in Kenya.

Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has claimed that President William Ruto spent two nights on the plane while on his trip to France.

The Cabinet Secretary argued that Deputy President Ruto's visits serve the economic and diplomatic interests of the state.

"Some people have questioned President William Ruto’s travels. Recently, we went to France and Berlin, and we went for 3 days. Of the 3 days, we slept 2 nights inside the plane. It’s only been one night we slept in Europe," argued Murkomen.

Why did Ruto sleep on the plane?

During his appearance on Citizen TV on Monday, December 18, Murkomen asserted that during business-oriented trips, the head of state is consistently occupied and that they barely have the opportunity to observe their surroundings.

"Every time we go with him, it is business. I have never had to even look at which building is next door; it is always rushing from one business to the next," he claimed.

He emphasised that the country's infrastructural sector will undergo significant transformation under the Kenya Kwanza government since the regime is focused on investment rather than luxury, in contrast to previous administrations.

"This nation in these five years will have the highest private investment in the infrastructure sector than before because we don't have the luxury of borrowing like the previous governments. Ours is to use investment to make sure that we resolve our infrastructure issues," he added.

Ruto defends endless overseas trips

During his latest interview with journalists, Ruto acknowledged that he had travelled more than his predecessors, just one year after taking office.

The president stressed that his endless foreign trips were geared towards making Kenya a better place.

He emphasised that the trips were according to the government's plans, advising the opposition leader, Raila Odinga, to stop complaining about them.

"You have heard that I travel the world. I do it according to plans. I am not a tourist. I saw Raila objecting to thousands being taken to work abroad. Did he prefer them to stay here? We still have a significant number of people seeking foreign employment opportunities, so it's not the right time to begin complaining," said Ruto.