On Wednesday, Kenyans woke up to the news that State House had in unclear circumstances decided to cancel the Deputy President William Ruto’s trip to USA and Canada.
The trip which was scheduled for Monday next week was allegedly canceled because it collided with President Uhuru Kenyatta’s official trip to South Africa next week stating that the two cannot be out of the country at the same time.
The Star reported that the DP had been scheduled to fly out to the US on Monday for an extensive tour that would have culminated in a speech at the Open Governance Partnership Conference in Canada scheduled for May 28 and 29.
The canceled trips have also caused a fall-out in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where a top diplomat has been sent on compulsory leave for allegedlyf facilitating Ruto’s trip.
The DP in his trip had planned to meet Kenyans in the diaspora, a critical segment of the population with a massive war chest. Many of them will be voting for the first time in 2022.
Global superpowers like the US and UK are influential in determining who becomes President in Africa, especially where polls are riddled with controversy.
High placed sources said influential people working closely with President Uhuru Kenyatta believed the trip was simply an extension of Ruto’s 2022 campaigns.
On Tuesday, Ruto’s communications secretary David Mugonyi confirmed that the DP had indeed been scheduled to travel abroad.
He said Ruto was to fly to the US for “various official engagements” and proceed to Canada to speak at the Open Governance Partnership Conference scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday next week
“However, His Excellency the President is scheduled to travel to South Africa for the presidential inauguration of Cyril Ramaphosa this Friday. Afterwards, the President is expected in Vancouver, Canada, for a Women Deliver Conference scheduled for June 3-6,” Mugonyi said.
Last week, Ruto dramatically confronted Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho, accusing him of being used to sabotage his 2022 presidential bid.
The two came face-to-face at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at around 8pm on Wednesday last week when they had gone to welcome Uhuru back from his one-day visit to Kigali, Rwanda.
Ruto confronted Kibicho, asking him why he allegedly instructed county commissioners and police commanders not to provide security at his functions.
Deputy President William Ruto has not been in good terms with the President since the March 2018 handshake that brought president Uhuru and ODM leader Raila Odinga together.
Ruto was opposed to the handshake as this would be used by Raila to scuttle his 2022 ambitions. Ever since then, President Uhuru has distanced himself from Ruto accusing him of opposing the handshake and derailing his top 4 Agenda through early campaigns.