President William Ruto’s digital secretary Dennis Itumbi has dismissed reports that the Head-of-State travelled with a delegation of 367 people to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai.
Itumbi said the President travelled with only 51 people comprising essential staff from across the government.
“Ignore the rumours being spread by the usual suspects,” Itumbi said on X.
Itumbi claimed that Ruto asked for the names of those travelling with him to Dubai for COP28 and got a list of 189 people.
He said the Head-of-State returned it to the bureaucracy and demanded cuts.
“It came back as 144. He instructed that the list come down to below 60. Finally, 51 essential staff travelled from across the Government. That was a 73 per cent cut on travel costs,” he stated.
The clarification came after reports among those listed to travel with the President were First Lady Rachel Ruto, and their children Stephanie Ruto (Staff), Charlene Ruto (Patron), and June Ruto (Protocol).
Others were Second Lady Dorcas Rigathi, and five Cabinet Secretaries including Njuguna Ndungu (Treasury), Rebecca Miano (Trade), Aisha Jumwa (Gender), Davis Chirchi (Energy), Susan Nakhumicha (Health) and Soipan Tuya (Environment).
The Executive in Ruto's entourage further included Principal Secretaries Festus Ng’eno (Environment and Climate Change), Christopher Kiptoo (National Treasury), Abraham Korir (Foreign Affairs) Salome Wairimu (Correctional Services), and Mary Muthoni (Health).
Attorney General Justin Muturi and Central Organisation of Trade Union (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli also formed part of the delegation, reports indicated.
On October 7, Ruto said the government had reduced travel expenditure by up to Sh11 billion and not Sh500 million as reported by a section of the media.
Speaking during the official opening of the Voi gemstone value addition and marketing centre in Taita Taveta County, Ruto said he had directed that travel budgets for all the three arms of government be slashed by 50 per cent.