The Kenyan president resides and operates out of State House, where all necessary resources for governing the country are available to him. His highly trained security will tell you that he is safest there, in a controlled environment that is sealed from all corners, even under his bed.
However, since a president is elected by the people, he cannot isolate himself from the population that placed him in the house on the hill. He has to travel across the country and meet his people. It is crucial from a political standpoint and even a social one.
As you would expect, whenever the president departs from the secure and comfortable environment of State House, he is accompanied by a throng of aides, political allies, and a complete military contingent to guarantee his safety.
This is not inexpensive. No trip is made impulsively. He does not wake up and think, “I want to go to Kilgoris” or “I want to visit a market in El-Wak, Modogashe, or Kotulo.” All journeys have been organized well ahead of time.
To facilitate the president’s travel, he is provided with a set of amenities that increases in size the further his destination is from his State residence, the State House.
President Ruto’s convoy during a tour of Meru two years ago included an astonishing 50 luxury vehicles; an issue that infuriated numerous Kenyans on the internet.
A source within the State House hinted to Citizen Digital that the package contains an advance security team assigned to the intended location and site of the visit.
Usually, this is overseen by officials from the Interior Ministry and the county commissioner’s office to aid in securing the scheduled locations for the president’s arrival.
They verify the routes, potential stops, and whether he will enter the area via road or air. When air travel is necessary, the Kenya Defence Forces offer helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft.
Besides, the President has to eat like everyone else, but he cannot simply stop at a nearby restaurant or kibanda for a smocha or rice and beans.
This implies that the president’s catering team accompanies him on all trips, including day trips. They know his preferences, such as how much salt he likes on his food (if any), and perhaps even what his favorite plate and cup are.
Of course security is crucial, and he always has dozens of male and female security personnel accompanying him wherever he goes. With his logistics and communications team, the president has at least 150 people tracking his every move.
Every individual who accompanies the president receives an allowance during official duties, amounting to millions.
An insider disclosed that a few-hour visit by President Ruto to a location such as Kiambu County, which is virtually adjacent, can incur expenses of at least over Ksh.2 million.
According to our insider, the amount is very conservative and appears to be intended for fueling the presidential motorcade of 25 cars and providing a lunch allowance for his team of 150. He states that there is a separate mobilization amount that cannot be calculated, as it relies on numerous factors and amounts to millions.
Taking into account that the average cost of fuel for a high-end 4×4 car is Ksh. 15,000, this means that over Ksh. 300,000 will be spent on fuel alone for the trip.
For lunch, an extra Ksh. 200,000 will be utilized.
The insider noted that should President Ruto require a helicopter, an extra cost of $2,000 (Ksh.258,000) per hour will also be included in the budget.
Ruto will spend Ksh.1.29 million on a chopper if he spends approximately five hours in Kiambu (1 USD = Ksh.129).
Ruto’s recent four-day trip to North Eastern Kenya was leveraged to utilize tens of millions of shillings in order to guarantee the visit’s success.
“In the northern region, you take into account the need for extra paramilitary forces for security and evacuation,” the insider added.
Given that he spent over 72 hours with a chopper, the tour easily exceeded the 15 million bracket. His team of aides arranged for lodging and allowances for that same time span.
He noted that whenever the President is scheduled to visit a location, a thorough planning procedure is implemented to guarantee an emergency evacuation in the event of an assault on the Head of State.
This amount varies during the President’s international visits due to the involvement of a more complex planning process.
