Why Visiting US Secretary Of State John Kerry Refused To Meet DP Ruto Forcing His Impromptu Visit To Mombasa

The United State’s Secretary of States was in the Country from 22nd August meeting with the President, opposition and sections of the Civil Society. The need to improve business relations, boost counter-terrorism measures, increased corruption in the government, a highrise in drug trafficking to the US from Kenya and stabilise the region from civil war are the key reasons Kerry was in town.

While the President was hosting Kerry in Statehouse, Nairobi, his counterpart DP Ruto was forced to change his plans last minute by travelling to Mombasa. According to a diplomatic source talking to Kenya Insights, Kerry had given clear instructions to the protocol handlers and the US Ambassador that they must ensure the DP doesn’t get anywhere close to him given his reputation.

US Secretary of State John Kerry (back to camera centre) when he met Opposition chiefs led by Cord principal Raila Odinga in Nairobi on August 22, 2016. Mr Odinga was accompanied by his co-principals, Mr Kalonzo Musyoka and Mr Moses Wetang’ula, Amani Coalition leader Musalia Mudavadi and Narc Kenya’s Martha Karua.

On giving his conditions, Statehouse was told were forced to find a quick way to hide the dark cloud hanging and to avoid embarrassment, decided that instead, Ruto tour Mombasa where the President was scheduled to travel in the next days.

According to the source confiding in Kenya Insights, the Secretary of State, didn’t want to be pictured or see near him the DP citing his corruption links, “the DP is named in most if not all graft cases and the boss didn’t want to get close to him and ordered that we ensure he’s kept as far away from him at all costs.”

This was a last minute communication prompting the unplanned trip by the DP who went on an extensive Coast tour ahead of Kerry’s visit in a strategic move to dupe the sceptical public. This isn’t the first time protocol was having hitches when the US President Obama visited Kenya last year, and there were speculations that DP was ordered to keep away and had to take the intervention of the President who insisted Ruto had to be on the table and delegation receiving and seeing him off.

Ruto’s impromptu visit to Coast coincided with Mr Odinga’s starts his tour in Taita-Taveta County on Wednesday. President Uhuru was slotted to visit Mombasa on Thursday to open a Law Society of Kenya conference.