William Ruto: Diplomatic charmer prone to occasional blunders

President William Ruto and his Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb at State House, Nairobi. President Stubb is accompanied by First Lady Suzanne Innes-Stubb and a business delegation are on the first visit by a Finnish Head of State to Kenya. [PCS]

President William Ruto is a lesson in contradiction. Occasionally, he makes a diplomatic gaffe that paints him as aloof. Then he pulls off moves that show him to be quite the charmer.

On Monday, the President rolled out the red carpet for Finland President Alexander Stubb, who departed Kenya yesterday after a three-day state visit.

Stubb, whom Ruto invited to Nairobi during a peace conference in Switzerland last year, is the first Finnish President to visit Kenya. He is among many Heads of State and Government who have visited Kenya since Ruto ascended to power.

Ruto, who before last year's youth-led revolt against tax hikes was constantly on the move, has hosted several heads, signing cooperation agreements and mega deals. His latest engagement yielded an MoU on political consultations and conflict resolution efforts, and promised to establish a cooperation agreement on trade, education, health and renewable energy, among other sectors.

The latest high-level engagement comes on the heels of Ruto's state visit to China, which saw Nairobi and Beijing sign 22 bilateral agreements, which included extension of the Standard Gauge Railway from Naivasha to Kisumu and expansion of the Limuru-Mau Summit road.

The visit came amid a trade war between China and the US, meeting executives of a leading tea company in the Asian country on Tuesday to find a market for Kenyan tea.

Meanwhile, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi had just held talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, discussing regional peace, security, trade, investment and diplomatic ties. Nairobi has sought assurances from the US that it would support the Kenya-led Haiti mission, whose status has always seemed shaky since President Donald Trump took over in January.

Ruto, a smooth operator who finds favour in the East and West, enjoyed good relations with former President Joe Biden, who hosted him in a state visit last year, which saw Kenya designated a major non-NATO ally, granting Nairobi easier access to military technologies not available to other countries.

Mudavadi's spokesperson, Jacob Ng'etich, said the meeting with Rubio was significant and a show that Washington valued her long-time ally. "The Prime Cabinet Secretary's visit and welcome granted by President Donald Trump's administration to top Kenyan officials signaled the value they attach to Kenya. The Prime CS is among a few leaders from Africa who have met the US government," said Ng'etich.

President Ruto has met a host of African and international leaders, such as King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, who challenged Ruto on the respect for human rights, in March, and Britain's King Charles in 2023.

The President has had his fair share of state and official visits to foreign nations, which may portray him as a diplomatic powerhouse. "Hosting other leaders and visiting others does not mean that much," said Machakos Deputy Governor Francis Mwangangi, an international relations expert. "Even the worst dictators meet other heads courtesy of the position they hold and not any personal abilities."

Ruto's influence has been put to the test on different occasions. The latest was Kenya's attempt to secure the African Union Commission chairperson position in February. Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga lost to Djiboutian Mahmoud Youssof in a race initially too close.

Kenya's loss was attributable to a number of factors, including diplomatic missteps by Kenya's delegations. For instance, Foreign Affairs PS Korir Sing'oei had lamented that Madagascar should not have been allowed to contest.

The blunders have been consistent. Kenya, which offered itself as a mediator in Sudan's conflict, has, for instance, hosted the Rapid Support Force, alienating the nation's military. Nairobi has also faced criticism over its handling of the Eastern DRC conflict, amid claims that it supported Rwanda, which is suspected to be funding the M-23 rebel groups.

During his tour of China, Ruto also seemed to talk down on its neighbours over their "smaller" economies. The President's first diplomatic blunder was his remarks that Kenya would cut ties with the Sahrawi Republic in 2022.

In a TV interview on Monday, law professor PLO Lumumba pointed out that Kenya had angered many countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, South Sudan and the Sahrawi Republic.

"Look at our own declaration that we would be part of the East African Community, and we would provide leadership. Look at the bilateral and unilateral decisions we are entering with Europe and the United States of America to the detriment of the East African Community," Lumumba stated.

For the longest time, Nairobi has faced isolation from its neighbours over its perceived greed, which saw it lose the AUC chairperson seat in 2017. Chad's Moussa Faki Mahamat defeated the then Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed amid speculation that all of Kenya's neighbours abandoned her.

Over the course of his presidency, Ruto has seemed close to her East African neighbours and somewhat influential. Indeed, he assembled most at State House when he unveiled Raila's AUC bid.

He looked poised to take this influence on the continental stage in the early days of his presidency, when he championed pan-Africanism. Most of his speeches, in which he advocated reforms in the financial infrastructure that would be fairer to the global south, were capped by standing ovations.

And when his influence on the continental stage was tested when he announced the continent's first climate summit in 2023, he was resoundingly successful. Fourteen heads attended the event, also graced by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Although much is yet to come out of the event, it cemented Ruto's standing on the global stage. "From the beginning, President Ruto was strategic in putting Kenya on a high pedestal globally. Thanks to his unwavering efforts, Nairobi is today the allure of the globe, with everyone interested in Kenya's position on different subjects," said Mr Ng'etich.

However, the President's appearances have risked painting him as more interested in seeking approval, as Prof Macharia Munene said in a previous interview.

"Ruto likes to be spoken well of, especially by the western powers, and he has worked hard to be seen as Africa's spokesperson," said Prof Munene, who highlighted some of the President's diplomatic weaknesses.

"He is quick to make statements which backfire on him. He made remarks against the Sahrawi Republic only after meeting Morocco's foreign affairs minister," said Prof Munene.