A survey conducted by TIFA has ranked Tourism Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua and his public Service counterpart Moses Kuria as the CSs who made the highest number of international trips last year.
Salim Mvurya (Mining), Njuguna Ndung'u (Treasury) and Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi who doubles up as Foreign Affairs CS were also listed in the top five list.
Mutua accounted for 28 per cent of his trips, with Kuria, Mvurya, Ndung'u and Mudavadi following closely at 16, 14, 13 and 12 per cent respectively.
"There were a total of 2,741 activities analyzed by TIFA. Out of these, 203 were foreign travel," read part of the report.
On the other hand, Education CS Ezekiel Machogu and Kindiki had 0 per cent, with Kipchumba Murkomen (Transport), Aisha Jumwa (Gender) and Susan Nakhumicha (Health) all following with 2 per cent.
"There is no documented evidence of foreign trips linked to the roles of Kithure Kindiki (interior) and Ezekiel Machogu (education) in 2023.
"On the contrary, Alfred Mutua (Tourism/Wildlife and previously Foreign Affairs ), had the highest tally of foreign trips within the scope of his duties. Given the international nature of his ministerial portfolios, extensive travel is an inherent expectation. He is followed by Moses Kuria (previous in Trade and now in Public Service)," TIFA stated.
Per the report, the most visited continent was Europe where CSs made 48 trips throughout the year, Africa was in second place with 40 trips, CSs made 36 trips to North & South America, 33 trips to East Africa, 25 trips to the Middle East and 21 to Asia.
TIFA explained that the foreign trips were a reliable indicator of possible resulting economic ties and partnerships between Kenya and destination countries.
"Foreign travel is expensive, and excessive spending on trips can strain government finances, especially during challenging economic periods. This can contribute to budgetary constraints and may divert resources that could be better utilized for essential domestic needs. This travel can be justified if there is a return on investment (ROI)," read part of the report.
Local Travels
While the Interior CS did not travel outside the country in 2023, he was the most active CS back at home.
Kindiki led the most reported activities in counties followed by Labour CS Florence Bore, and Water CS Zachary Njeru. Mutua recorded the least activities in the period under review followed by Defence CS Aden Duale.
Out of 47 counties, the Interior CS visited 41, Nakhumicha 36, Njeru 27 and Bore, Mudavadi and Kuria 26.
On the other hand, Mutua only toured six counties while Energy CS Davis Chirchir and Ndung'u visited 11.
"Kithure Kindiki leads with the most reported activities in other counties (apart from Nairobi) followed by Susan Nakhumicha, Salim Mvurya and Musalia Mudavadi," the report read in parts.
Most of the activities were concentrated in Nairobi accounting for 54 per cent, Rift Valley at 14, Coast at 10, Eastern at 7, Central at 6 Nyanza at 5, Western at 3 and North Eastern at 1 per cent.
Additionally, some CSs made more trips to their home counties including Mvurya, Machogu, Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi, Njeru, and ICT CS Eliud Owalo. Kindiki made the least trips to his home county.
"The visits to home counties not only hold the potential for acquiring political leverage but also serve as a meaningful and calculated approach to garnering support for 2027," read part of the report.
