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Kenyan ambassador-designate to Egypt prepares for Ruto’s state visit despite domestic crises

Foreign Affairs PS Korir Sing'óei bids farewell to Kenya's Ambassador designate to Egypt, Fred Outa as he reports to post this week. Photo: X/ForeignOfficeKE

By Mwangi Maina | Friday, July 5, 2024

This state visit has been planned for a long time but was delayed due to events in Egypt and the Middle East, including Ramadan.

The Kenyan ambassador-designate to Cairo, Egypt, Fred Outa, is reporting for duty this week in an expedited process even before his official swearing-in.

On July 1, Outa bade farewell by Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei at the ministry's headquarters in Nairobi.

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"Bid farewell to Kenya's Ambassador-designate to Egypt, Hon. Fred Outa as he reports to post this week," posted the bespectacled foreign policy official on his X account.

He added, "We are confident that the ambassador will do more to enhance our diplomatic and strategic relations with Egypt and the sub-region."

Why the rush?

The political appointee, who once served as the Kisumu senator, is heading to Cairo earlier than expected to prepare for an anticipated state visit by President William Ruto.

Despite being grounded at the official presidential residence in Nairobi and facing a significant decline in popularity, which has prevented any roadside rallies, President Ruto still shows a strong appetite for foreign travel, despite the massive crises at home.

This state visit has been planned for a long time but was delayed due to events in Egypt and the Middle East, including Ramadan.

An Egyptian source told The Eastleigh Voice that the exact dates for President Ruto's visit have not yet been made official.

In the two years since his election, Ruto has wowed global leaders during the G7 outreach summit, brushed shoulders with climate activists under the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and met global tech titans in Silicon Valley.

He was also toasted as a global peacekeeper at the White House in May, arriving aboard a luxurious Emirati plane.

Yet, as he travelled abroad, disgruntled Kenyans back home endured gruelling economic hardships.

Already hammered by a cost-of-living crisis and watching those in government enjoy the largesse derived from their positions, Kenyans, especially the youthful generation, forced Ruto to abandon plans to introduce eye-watering tax hikes after days of protests.

This has left him embarrassed and weakened domestically, with his administration caught off guard and his opponents rejuvenated.

His top foreign policy official, Musalia Mudavadi, said in late June after intense protests started that rejecting a Finance Bill on any government is a vote of no confidence in the President.

The foreign and diaspora affairs cabinet secretary, who once served as a finance minister in the 90s, alleged that those rejecting the Finance Bill are plotting to oust President William Ruto.

Previously, Ruto has been accused of being tone-deaf, as he continued with his itinerary despite events in Kenya requiring his urgent attention.

This includes his departure for Zimbabwe when hundreds of Kenyans were dying due to heavy floods that hit the country.