Ruto set to resume international globetrotting with flight to Germany

Kenya's jet-setting President William Ruto is set to resume his globetrotting activities with a confirmed visit to Berlin, Germany, in mid-September.

After being grounded for months due to political upheavals sparked by the Finance Bill and peaceful youth protests, Ruto travelled to Rwanda for President Paul Kagame's inauguration ceremony on August 11.

Next month, he will reemerge as the first non-European international partner to feature at the Citizens Festival hosted by Germany on September 14.

The festival, hosted by the Federal President of Germany, focuses on the commitment of numerous volunteers engaged in various initiatives, and Ruto has been invited as a special guest.

The Eastleigh Voice has confirmed that the Kenyan mission in Berlin has been encouraging Kenyan citizens to register with the embassy to attend the event, which is free of charge.

"The Embassy of Kenya in Germany is pleased to extend a final call for registration to the Citizens' Festival to those who missed registration through the first link," reads an advisory from the Kenyan embassy.

The Citizens' Festival will take place in the park of Bellevue Palace in Berlin on September 14, 2024.

The Federal President will be celebrating volunteer work in Germany while promoting voluntary civil society engagement.

This year's Citizens' Festival places a special focus on Africa.

"For the first time, a non-European country is the festival's international partner: the Republic of Kenya. President William Ruto will grace the event," states the Kenyan mission.

President William Ruto addresses a roadside rally in Likoni, Mombasa on Saturday, July 27, 2024. (Photo" PCS)

The motto for this year's Citizens Festival in Swahili is "Pamoja: Stronger Together."

Under this theme, the Kenyan Embassy highlights how non-profit organisations, volunteers, and companies showcase broad social commitment in all its facets.

Visitors will have the opportunity to see the official residence of the Federal President, including the palace gardens, offices, and representative rooms, up close. They will also learn about the diversity of Kenya and Africa.

In addition to his visit to Berlin, Ruto is also likely to attend the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit in Beijing from September 4 to 6.

Although not yet confirmed, there are increasing signs of renewed engagement between Nairobi and Beijing, indicating that Kenya may be warming up to China again.

This comes after Ruto made amends following his anti-China rhetoric during the Kenyan presidential campaigns.

Ruto declared that, if elected, he would deport Chinese nationals from jobs that Kenyans could perform while serving as Deputy President and presidential candidate in July 2022.

"Let Chinese nationals roast maize and sell mobile phones. We will deport them all back to their countries," William Ruto said at an economic forum. "All these activities are for Kenyans. Don't worry about the foreigners engaged in these activities. We have enough planes to deport them," he insisted.

Additionally, Ruto is expected to attend the United Nations General Assembly, scheduled for late September in New York.

There, he will likely continue advocating for international financial architecture reforms and pushing for Africa's representation at the UN Security Council (UNSC).

President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto disembark from a plane following their arrivalin Washington, DC, in the United States of America, on May 22, 2024. (Photo: PCS)