Ruto flies out of the country

By Peter Ochieng

President William Ruto has travelled out of the country.

The Head of State travelled to Bujumbura, Burundi on Thursday morning for the 2024 Summit of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Heads of State and Government.

Hussein Mohamed, State House Spokesman said during the one-day visit to Burundi, Ruto will take part in high-level deliberations, and efforts to strengthen Kenya’s relations with partner states.

“The President will engage in high-level discussions aimed at bolstering Kenya’s relationships with key strategic partners, with a particular focus on strengthening regional value chains to deepen COMESA integration,” says Mohamed’s statement in part.

President Ruto, Mohamed said, will hold bilateral engagements with the Presidents of Egypt and Zambia, as well as the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, among other leaders.

“The discussions with Egypt will focus on enhancing the Kenya-Egypt partnership, with a joint commitment to increase trade between the two nations.”

“His bilateral meeting with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema will explore avenues to facilitate trade, including the formation of a joint trade committee to address and resolve non-tariff barriers,” he added.

The summit celebrates the 30th anniversary of COMESA, and it is being held under the theme, “Accelerating Regional Integration through the Development of Regional Value Chains in Climate Resilient Agriculture, Mining, and Tourism.”

While in Burundi, Ruto will also mobilise support for Kenya’s Raila Odinga, who is among the four candidates angling for the African Union Commission (AUC) chairman position.

Elections will be held in February 2025, with the winner succeeding Chad’s Moussa Faki Mahamat.

It is the first trip he is making out of the Country in a month, since he travelled to Germany and Haiti between September 13 and 22, 2024.

Ruto has drastically reduced his trips abroad, since the June and July anti-government protests, and the start of impeachment process against his embattled deputy, Rigathi Gachagua.

Gachagua is fighting for a lifeline in the courts, having been impeached by the National Assembly and the Senate respectively.