Africa (Commonwealth) _ William Ruto of Kenya and Bola Tinubu of Nigeria have both come under fire for their frequent travels overseas since becoming office. The two leaders have been portrayed in an unfavorable light, with the expenses linked to their purported love of flying being juxtaposed with difficult domestic economic circumstances.
Mr. Ruto was given the moniker “Flying President” by a Kenyan journalist. It stated that he seemed unable to turn down any opportunity due to his intense passion for flying, even in the face of important home obligations like keeping up with the expensive cost of living.
Atiku Abubakar, the head of the Nigerian opposition, stated on social media last month that Nigeria does not want a “tourist-in-chief” during Mr. Tinubu’s latest trip to Europe. He criticized the president’s secret tour at a time when insecurity is engulfing Nigeria.
This may be viewed as a cheap hit in certain aspects, one that any critic may readily levy. Presidents must foster international ties and participate in meetings of heads of state. This is significant for commercial as well as diplomatic reasons since profitable investment agreements may be struck.
However, others have noted that during his six years in power, the late President of Tanzania, John Magufuli, never left Africa.
“Self-glorification”
Prof. Macharia Munene, a foreign policy specialist from Kenya, agrees that some travel is essential but claims that other travel is definitely “wasteful”. “Some of your presidents enjoy being in the air… A portion of these travels are more for the individual than the nation”, he said.
Speaking for themselves, Mr. Ruto, Mr. Tinubu, and their representatives argue that the visits are necessary to address the issues that they are being accused of ignoring.
Mr. Ruto has been overseas on average more than three times a month since taking office in 2022, whereas Mr. Tinubu has only made 14 visits in the eight months since his inauguration, or little less than two per month.
Comparatively, throughout his ten years in office, Mr. Ruto’s predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta, made slightly over one international trip per month on average, which is comparable to the record of Muhammadu Buhari, the former president of Nigeria. While other international leaders have accumulated air miles as well, doubts about whether Mr. Ruto and Mr. Tinubu’s trips are worthwhile continue to arise.
At the end of the previous month, both the leaders of Kenya and Nigeria were in Europe. Mr. Tinubu was in France for his third “private visit” since last May, while Mr. Ruto was in Italy for the Italy-Africa summit. Mr. Ruto has since taken further travels.
Three weeks after becoming office, in June 2023, Mr. Tinubu traveled to Paris for a two-day climate meeting. Months before, he had previously gone there “to rest” and organize the move soon after winning the presidency.
After his trip to “rest” following the elections, he continued his secret meetings with his predecessor in the UK after leaving Paris. A week later, Mr. Tinubu traveled to Nairobi after attending a meeting of the West African group Ecowas in Guinea-Bissau.
Before heading back to Paris, he traveled to Benin in August then to India, the United Arab Emirates, and the US for the UN General Assembly in September. After spending the whole month of October at home, he resumed his travels in late November, going to Germany, Guinea-Bissau, and Saudi Arabia before arriving in Dubai a week later.
According to the Nigerian presidency, the travels are crucial for drawing in foreign capital. “I have always said the same thing to investors and other businesspeople when I travel abroad. Nigeria is prepared and available for trade, President Tinubu declared in his 2024 New Year’s greeting. From his inauguration in 2022, Mr. Ruto has had an even busier travel itinerary.
He had been overseas at least twice a month between September of that year and December of previous year. May 2023 saw him travel five times. He has taken trips to the US, Europe, and other African nations for bilateral meetings and international gatherings. He visited Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Italy in January of this year. Additionally, Mr. Ruto has already visited the UAE and Japan this month. Cost is an additional consideration in addition to frequency.
Travel cost
According to reports from GovSpend, a civic tech platform that analyzes government expenditure, Mr. Tinubu is said to have spent at least 3.4 billion naira ($2.2 million; £1.8 million) on domestic and international travel in the first half of his presidency, which is 36% more than the sum allocated for 2023. The report was published in the Nigerian publications.
The office of the president’s travel expenses increased significantly in Kenya from July of last year to the end of the year, which covered nine months of Mr. Ruto’s administration, according to data from the Controller of Budget, an independent organization that monitors government expenditures.
