On Sunday, March 26, President William Ruto flew to Berlin, Germany on what was his 17th official foreign trip since assuming office on September 13, 2022.
Kenyans.co.ke compiled a list of all the 17 foreign trips made by the Head of State.
While many presidents start their tenure by visiting neighbouring nations, Ruto’s term started with the death of England’s Queen Elizabeth who was also the leader of the Commonwealth.
Kenya being a member of the Commonwealth, Ruto flew to England on September 13, 2022, to represent the country during the burial of the Queen in what was his maiden foreign trip as Kenya's fifth president.
Immediately after the burial ceremony, Ruto flew to the United States, on September 20, 2022, for the Seventy-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 77).
The Head of State went back to the US on December 14, 2022, where he attended the US-Africa Summit held in Washington DC.
Ethiopia was the first African country the President visited and he made the trip on October 6, 2022.
In a space of four days, Ruto visited three countries, holding meetings in Uganda and Tanzania on October 8, 2022, and October 10, 2022, respectively.
According to State House dispatch, the agenda for the regional tour included talks on business and political ties.
Ruto returned to Ethiopia on February 17, 2023, for the 36th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union.
For his sixth trip outside the country, the President flew out to Egypt on November 6, 2022, for the United Nations 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) that brought together countries from around the world to increase ambition and implement existing goals and strengthen commitments on climate change.
On November 21, 2022, Ruto made an official trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
During the meeting in DRC, the President met DRC President Felix Tshisekedi where they held talks on areas of mutual interest, including trade and investments, regional integration and the security situation in Eastern DRC according to State House, Nairobi.
Immediately after meeting Tshisekedi, Ruto flew to South Korea on November 22, 2022, on his maiden trip to the Asian continent.
On December 3, 2022, President William Ruto visited neighbouring South Sudan.
During the meeting, Ruto promised to facilitate the movement of goods from the port of Mombasa to South Sudan.
“Traders from South Sudan can choose the most convenient point between Mombasa, Nairobi and Naivasha to pick their goods with no restrictions,” the President stated back then.
The President for his 10th official trip visited Eritrea on December 9, 2022.
After hectic four months in office, Ruto visited Qatar on December 18, 2022, to watch the World Cup final between Argentina and France.
Ruto was distraught watching his favourite team France lose the finals and it was only right that his next foreign trip was to France on January 24, 2023.
The Head of State made his second foreign trip of 2023 on January 25, 2023, when he visited Dakar, Senegal on his way from France.
On February 1, 2023, Ruto visited troubled Somalia for a joint Heads of State and Government summit convened by his Somalian President Hassan Mohamud as part of efforts to strengthen regional security cooperation and tackle violent extremism in the region.
After his 17th foreign trip to Germany, the President is expected to visit European Union Headquarters in Belgium in what will be his 18th trip in seven months.
In Belgium, the President will meet Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium and discuss mutual areas of interest including, health, addressing Kenya's food security and drought response, climate action, trade and investment.
