President William Ruto on Saturday, July 1, defended his foreign trips after an uproar from Kenyans over his increased spending on travel.
Speaking in Elgeyo Marakwet County during the Thanksgiving service of Treasury PS Chris Kiptoo, Ruto explained that trips were necessary in his plan of creating employment opportunities for Kenyans.
The Head of State added that his foreign travel was necessary because it will help him in creating one million foreign jobs for Kenyans as promised in his manifesto.
Ruto indicated that the foreign trips were also necessary since they accorded him an opportunity to sign bilateral agreements with his colleagues.
Further, he expressed that other foreign presidents had a soft spot for Kenyan workers thanks to their work ethic.
"We need one million jobs for Kenyans who are working abroad. Many Kenyans ask why I am travelling to the US, Canada and Europe. I am going out there to enter into agreements with other countries.
"All those presidents are telling me that they want Kenyans who are workers because we are known for our skills and minds," Ruto stated.
On the other hand, he reinforced his plan of having ICT hubs in each ward, elucidating that the move would create opportunities for Kenyans to work for foreign companies while still living in Kenya.
"We are building a fibre optic network across the country because we want to use all means to build another one million digital jobs," he asserted.
Ruto was responding to concerns over increased government spending on foreign travel.
The Head of State has made over 25 trips outside Kenya since he took over office on September 13, 2022, with the latest being France.
In his first six months in office, reports revealed that Ruto spent Ksh88 million on foreign travel.
The news coverage saw a number of Kenyans and other leaders hit out at the government for spending more despite the current state of the economy.
"I have learnt one thing about Ruto. When he says right, he most definitely means left! He campaigned on the hustler narrative, but believe you me, hustlers will suffer the most under this regime.
"Uhuru Kenyatta was way more of a hustler president than Ruto will ever be," Jubilee Deputy Organising Secretary Pauline Njoroge stated.
However, a number of leaders also defended Ruto's expenditure noting their value to the country's economy.
"We want to encourage you that you must continue with bilateral diplomacy for the benefit of this country as you continue to locally harness resources to restore the economy of this country to where President Mwai Kibaki left us," Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua stated.
