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State House downplays Uhuru’s many trips abroad

By Hilary Kimuyu October 31st, 2019 2 min read

State House Chief of Staff Nzioka Waita has defended President Uhuru Kenyatta’s numerous trips abroad despite the country’s financial struggle.

On Wednesday Waita downplayed concerns over Kenyatta’s frequent foreign trips saying that the Head of State international trips are part and parcel of the president’s job, pointing out that they are aimed at advancing Kenya’s “agenda and sphere of influence.”

KENYA’S AGENDA

“One of President Kenyatta’s duties as Head of State is to position Kenya as a force for good and a thought leader in the community of Nations. A duty he has discharged extremely effectively. Foreign travel to advance Kenya’s agenda and sphere of influence is simply part of the job,” said Waita in a tweet.

Waita’s tweet came after it was revealed that Kenyatta has made 31 foreign trips over the last 21 months.

There have been questions over whether there has been a value for money for these trips, but the government insists they are beneficial to the country.

LUXURY JET

Last weekend, President Kenyatta returned from a trip to Tokyo, Japan, and Sochi, Russia in a luxury private jet before leaving the country on Monday for Saudi Arabia to attend the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference.

On his trip to Japan and Russia, the president used an Airbus 318 Elite aircraft believed to belong to Dubai-based luxury aviation company, Constellation.

The total cost of the hire remains unclear but it has been estimated that the cost of hiring a similar aircraft is around Sh1.5 million per hour.

President Kenyatta is also expected to visit Botswana after his latest trip.