- After attending the WSSD2 summit in Qatar, President Ruto extended his stay to engage more deeply with Kenyans living in Doha
- He was initially scheduled to return to Nairobi on November 4 but postponed his flight to address diaspora concerns
- Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi confirmed the change, noting Ruto’s commitment to listening and responding to issues affecting Kenyans abroad
President William Ruto has rescheduled his itinerary to allow more time for engagements with Kenyans in Doha, Qatar.
Source: Twitter
The president flew to the Gulf nation on Monday, November 3, to engage with the Qatari government on areas of mutual interest before attending the United Nations Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD2).
After the summit, the president and his delegation met with Kenyans working and living in Qatar, discussing issues relevant to their lives abroad and how the government intends to support them.
It was during this meeting with the diaspora community that Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who was part of the president’s delegation, made a key revelation.
He stated that the head of state had initially been scheduled to fly back to Nairobi on Tuesday evening, November 4, but chose to delay his return to accommodate further discussions with Kenyans.
“His programme was supposed to end today. He was expected to leave for the airport at exactly 5:30 pm, but he said he had changed his mind and would not leave until he had spoken to Kenyans in more detail about some of the issues,” Mudavadi said.
The president explained that he extended his stay in Doha by a day to listen to the concerns of the diaspora community.
“It’s true I had scheduled to leave this evening, but one of the things that persuaded me to stay was the realisation that I needed to speak with you. Since you are important, and because Kenya is my business, I thought I should remain behind and have a conversation with you,” Ruto said.
Ruto lauded the diasporians for their commitment to work and contribution to the economy at home through their remittances.
Noting the effort of Kenyans out of the country, the president promised support to them, including reducing the costs of remittances.
“You are doing a wonderful job and you have our support. Let me also say that it is our intention to support you on various areas. We are working as a government to see how we can reduce the cost of you sending money back home. We know that it costs anywhere between 5% to 10% of the money you send. And if you look at the amount of money that comes to Kenya, it’s about five billion dollars. If you do 5% of $5 billion, it’s colossal. It’s huge money, it can make a big difference. So, I did instruct the central bank to work with the international association of remittances so that we can find much more cost-effective mechanisms of you being able to send your money back home,” Ruto said.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
