Ruto Flies To Djibouti Moments After Attending Youth Connekt Africa Summit In Nairobi

President William Ruto departed the country on Saturday, December 9 for Djibouti, moments after he was present for the official opening of the Youth Connekt Africa summit held in Nairobi.

Photos seen by Viral Tea showed the Head of State receiving a ceremonial guard of honour after disembarking from the presidential plane in Djibouti.

The Head of State also abandoned his casual wear at the Youth Connekt summit for his trademark kaunda suit which has become his go-to for official State visits to African countries.

Previous reports had indicated that he would attend the 41st Extra-Ordinary Session of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

Presidents from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda and the host are also expected to attend.

The IGAD summit is expected to discuss various issues of regional and international importance, such as security, trade, infrastructure, energy, and climate change.

President Ruto last visited Djibouti on June 10, 2023, to participate in the 14th Ordinary Assembly of IGAD Heads of State and Government.

On April 16, 2023, IGAD held its 40th Extraordinary Assembly of the IGAD Heads of State and Government virtually and resolved to send President Ruto as well as President Salva Kiir (South Sudan) and President Ismail Omar Guelleh (Djibouti) to Sudan at the earliest possible time to reconcile the conflicting groups and restore stability in the country.

The Heads of State had expressed alarm on the deteriorating security situation in the Republic of the Sudan as a result of the fighting between Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in different parts of Khartoum and Merowe.

Ruto's trip comes a few days after his two-day state visit to India and attendance at the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP 28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Dubai where he advocated for Kenya and Africa's climate agenda.

It is his third international trip in less than two weeks, adding to the over 35 trips that he has made to 45 cities worldwide since assuming office in September 2022.

This is a matter which has drawn widespread criticism across political and other quarters over him allegedly spending exorbitantly on foreign travel amidst a struggling Kenyan economy.

Media reports indicate that the government pays the president, his deputy, and other top officials more than Ksh150,000 in daily subsistence allowances for each day they are on foreign trips, which are settled in dollars.