President William Ruto has today August 10, 2023, embarked on a two-day visit to the southern African nation of Mozambique.
The office of the president, which shared Ruto’s itinerary, said the Kenyan leader will hold talks with his Mozambican counterpart President Ripe Nyusi, aimed at strengthening and expanding bilateral ties between the two nations.
Kenya and Mozambique aim to cooperate in key sectors, including the Blue Economy and Fisheries, Trade, Defence, Agriculture, Energy, Transport, and Capacity Building.
8 cooperation agreements
Ruto and his host President Nyusi will also oversee the signing of eight cooperation agreements, solidifying their shared commitment to collaboration between Kenya and Mozambique.
“This visit will also provide momentum for the Kenya-Mozambique Business Forum, which will explore mutual economic opportunities. Additionally, it will mark the launch of the Kenya-Mozambique Joint Trade Committee (JTC),” State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed said in a statement.
Foreign trips galore
Ruto’s foreign trips have provided fodder to his critics with many questioning the value to the Kenyan taxpayers.
Ruto, who came to power in September 2021, saw his office spend close to Ksh46.08 million in the period between October and December last year – according to data from the Controller of Budget.
In the first half of 2022/23, the Executive Office of the President spent Ksh56.2 million on foreign trips, an increase from Ksh20.9 million compared to the amount his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta had spent in the second quarter of the financial year 2020/21.
In this financial year ending June, the Office of the President has been allocated Ksh262.6 million for foreign travel, an increase of more than three times compared to the Ksh72.1 million that had been allocated to Uhuru.
Ruto made his first foreign trip as Kenya’s fifth president in September 2021 when he travelled to the UK to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II where African leaders were bundled into a bus like common passengers.
