Questions surrounding President William Ruto's frequent local travel and the burgeoning associated costs have ignited a fierce debate in Kenya's political arena. As critics increasingly scrutinize the Head of State's "connecting with citizens" agenda, Aldai Member of Parliament (MP) Marianne Kitany has stepped forward with a spirited defense of the President's escalating travel budget.
On Tuesday, MP Kitany argued that the increased expenditure on President Ruto's local movements is a necessary investment, enabling him to "listen to Kenyans" on the ground. She asserted that the growing travel allocation to the President's office is crucial for facilitating his grassroots tours, allowing him to effectively engage with communities across the nation. "When we increase his budget, he is able to travel and listen to people on ground, then we start complaining that we are using so much money. When a president travels there is a lot of planning so that they can be able to commit to the people," Kitany explained during an appearance on Citizen TV.
Financial figures underpinning this debate are stark. President Ruto's travel expenditure for the first nine months of the current Financial Year 2024/2025 (July 2024 to March 2025) has soared to an astonishing Ksh.1.7 billion. This marks a significant increase from the Ksh.750 million spent within the same period in the previous financial year, raising eyebrows among taxpayers and opposition figures alike.
MP Kitany urged the nation to appreciate the President's efforts to connect with citizens, contending that he should not face criticism for ostensibly failing to honor his austerity promises. "He can't travel lean, he has tried, but you have to appreciate that he is the symbol of national unity, so you need to give protection that is required of a president," she added. For Kitany, the focus should be on the "work has been done" and his ability "to listen to what the people are saying and give them the development agenda."
However, Kitany's spirited defense met with immediate scorn from her Githunguri counterpart, Gathoni Wamuchomba. Wamuchomba scoffed at these sentiments, vehemently arguing that President Ruto has excessively used public funds on travel, particularly given the nation's economic realities. She cited a contentious incident where President Ruto and his entourage allegedly flew with nine helicopters to her constituency – a distance, she pointed out, that is easily accessible by road.
"She is very aware that the President comes to lecture us. He came to my constituency in 9 helicopters to come and lecture me for saying NO to the Finance Bill," Wamuchomba claimed, challenging the narrative of the President simply "listening." "Is that what you call listening? Githunguri is a 12-minute drive from the CBD when traffic is clear."
This contentious discussion gains particular resonance given that on June 26, 2024, after rejecting the highly debated Finance Bill, President Ruto himself publicly vowed to uphold stringent austerity measures – a promise that critics, like Wamuchomba, argue he has since failed to honor amidst these escalating travel costs. The ongoing debate underscores a fundamental tension between perceived presidential accessibility and prudent management of public resources.
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