Cabinet secretaries last year toured Rift Valley, Coast, Eastern and Central four times more than Nyanza, Western and North Eastern.
The officials conducted 920 visits to Rift Valley (358), Coast (246), Eastern (175) and Central (141).This was much more that the 241 to Nyanza (127), Western (88) and North Eastern (26). Nairobi, the country’s capital, saw the most visits with a total of 1,377. It is worth noting that all CSs have their offices in Nairobi.
This is according to a report titled “Cabinet Secretaries’ Activities Analysis”, which was released yesterday by research firm Trends and Insights for Africa (Tifa). The study analysed 2,741 trips, 203 of which were foreign.
Rift Valley is President William Ruto's backyard, while Central is the home of his deputy, Mr Rigathi Gachagua. Nyanza is the political bastion of opposition leader Raila Odinga, who is also the leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party. It is important to note that Western, which recorded a paltry 88 activities conducted by CSs, is also considered Mr Odinga's stronghold.
Among those in charge of the government's activities in Nyanza are Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo and Information, Communication and the Digital Economy CS Eliud Owalo, who have claimed that President Ruto will get more votes from the region in 2027 than he did in the last General Election.
Yesterday, Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura dismissed the Tifa report, saying, the government does not take “such studies seriously” and CSs work across the country and do not choose where to go.
“Certainly, the one who paid for the Tifa poll had a political motive," he said.
Interior CS Kithure Kindiki recorded the highest number of activities (192) and visited the highest number of counties.
Interior CS Kithure Kindiki helping in the rehabilitation of classrooms at Sapulmoi Primary School in West Pokot County.
Photo credit: Pool
On October 27, 2023, Prof Kindiki visited Baringo, West Pokot, Samburu and the vast North Eastern region where he held meetings with security officials.
He was in West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet, Turkana, Laikipia and Samburu counties where bandits had damaged about 50 schools. He said the government had allocated Sh100 million to rehabilitate the schools. He visited the same area on December 6, 2023.
On November 13, 2023, he visited Garissa, Mandera, Wajir, Turkana and Marsabit where he led a tree-planting exercise.
The November 14, 2023, he visited Garissa County, where he vowed that the government was determined to defeat al-Shabaab militants.
Labour CS Florence Bore came second after engaging in 183 visits to Coast, Central, Rift Valley and Eastern. On December 6, 2023, she was at Mabati Technical Training Institute where she launched the December series of Government Trade Tests.
On November 21, 2023, Ms Bore was at Kusitawi Village Childrens’ Home in Thika East to mark World’s Children Day. It is on this day that she announced that the government had established a department to implement an online child protection services.
Water CS Zachariah Njeru visited 165 places. It is worth noting that he served as CS in the Ministry of Lands for the better part of 2023. On May 24, 2023 while serving as the Lands CS, he visited Kirinyaga County where he asked Kenyans to support the affordable housing project.
On March 31, 2023 he told residents of Tana River that the government would resolve the perennial land problems in the county. He also formed a technical team comprising locals and government officials to deal with the title deeds issues.
Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha speaking at a fundraising event for Sirende Mission Hospital in Trans Nzoia County on June 25, 2023.
Photo credit: Pool
Health CS Susan Nakhumicha conducted a total of 162 visits to Western, Rift Valley and Nairobi counties. In the Rift Valley, she toured Kericho County where she informed locals about the Universal Health Coverage (UHC). In Western, she visited Matunda Sub-county Hospital
Dr Alfred Mutua (Tourism and Wildlife), Mr Aden Duale (Defence), Mr Ezekiel Machogu (Education) and Mr Mithika Linturi (Agriculture) conducted the least number of activities in 2023.
Dr Mutua had 23, Mr Duale 62 activities and Mr Machogu 71.
Dr Mutua had the most foreign trips, most likely due to the fact that he led the Foreign Affairs docket for most of 2023. He accounted for 28 percent of all international travel taken by the ministers in 2023.
By February 22, 2023, Dr Mutua had been out of the country on 15 occasions. He visited the United States, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania and Algeria.
Tourism Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua during an interview at his office in Nairobi on October 28, 2022.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
Public Service CS Moses Kuria accounted for 16 percent of the foreign trips. On January 28, 2023, Mr Kuria visited Kampala, Uganda to deliver a special message to President Yoweri Museveni on behalf of President Ruto.
Between February 2 and February 17, Mr Kuria visited Angola, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, South Sudan, Comoros, Lesotho, Egypt and Ethiopia for “peace and bilateral talks”.
Mining CS Salim Mvurya, who is the immediate former governor of Kwale County, accounted for 14 percent of the international trips.
Foreign travel by government officials became a matter of concern to the extent that all non-essential trips were suspended.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu during the Eldoret National Polytechnic Graduation ceremony in Uasin Gishu County on December 06, 2023.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
In October 2023, the government also restricted the delegations accompanying the President, Vice President, First Lady and Cabinet secretaries on international trips.
The suspended trips included those intended for benchmarking, study visits, training and related capacity building initiatives, as well as research, academic meetings and symposia.
Mr Machogu and Prof Kindiki did not travel abroad in 2023, while Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen, his gender counterpart Aisha Jumwa and Ms Nakhumicha each accounted for two percent of international trips. The most popular destination for President Ruto's Cabinet members was Europe, which accounted for 24 percent of total international travel. It was closely followed by the rest of Africa (20 percent) excluding East Africa.
The third, fourth, fifth and sixth preferred destinations for the CSs were North and South America (18 per cent), East Africa (16 per cent), Middle East (12 per cent) and Asia (10 per cent).
President William Ruto chairs a Cabinet meeting at State Lodge, Kisumu on October 9, 2023
Photo credit: PCS
"Traveling abroad is expensive, and excessive spending on travel can put a strain on government finances, especially during difficult economic times. This can contribute to budgetary constraints and divert resources that could be better utilized for essential domestic needs," the report reads in part.
It also warned that foreign travel in the face of economic hardship can create a perception of mismanagement of funds or lack of fiscal responsibility.
"The public may view such spending as extravagant and question the government's commitment to addressing economic challenges. This dissatisfaction can lead to a loss of confidence in the government's ability to prioritize and address the pressing needs of the population," the report further states.
The study found that the majority of the activities (858) were carried out in the last quarter of 2023. This means that they were carried out in the months of October, November and December.
This was followed by the third quarter (July, August and September) with 742 activities.
The second quarter (April, May and June) recorded a total of 600 activities, while the first quarter (January, February and March) accounted for 541 activities.
