For many people who have worked with him, President William Ruto has a tough work ethic and has a hard time dealing with it.
Like an athlete running a marathon, Dr. Ruto’s diary is non-stop. His schedule does not respect holidays or weekends, and he has not been seen taking any breaks.
It wasn’t just the Cabinet that felt the weight of his tactics; his communications team also showed no mercy.
The team had to split into groups to keep the public informed, at least to get some time off from work.
For example, if we look at the past 14 days, we can see that the president has been busy not only participating in party activities but also attending local and foreign conferences.
From October 6 to 9, the President toured the Nyanza region, where he launched projects, addressed political rallies, and held an important night meeting at Kisumu State Lodge.
President William Ruto, Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga and Cabinet Secretary for ICT and Digital Economy Eliud Owalo during a working tour in Homa Bay County, October 7, 2023.
Photo credit: PCS
Officials who attended the meeting said the meeting ran late into the night and the heads of state woke up very early to begin a hectic day’s program that included a helicopter ride and a mile-long road trip.
On October 11, the President attended a fainting parade for Kenya Forest Service recruits in Gilgil, Nakuru County, and later held a stakeholder meeting with milk processors at the Nakuru State Lodge.
The next day, he attended the Turkana Culture and Tourism Festival held in Lodwar Town and on October 13 attended the Africa 2023 Manufacturing Expo held at the Kenyatta International Conference Center (KICC).
President William Ruto attended the Turkana Culture and Tourism Festival in Lodwar town.
Photo credit: PCS
On the same day, the Head of State met with the Director-General of the International Organization for Migration at State House.
He then attended the Kenya Defense Forces Day celebrations at Embakasi Nairobi on October 14 before flying to China for the 3rd Belt and Road Forum on International Cooperation and other events for four days.
The head of state returned in time to sign the universal healthcare bill ahead of Mashuja Day celebrations in Kericho on Friday.
On the day he signed the bill, most of those who accompanied him to Beijing took time off to recover from jet lag.
President William Ruto puts his official seal on the passage of the Universal Health Care Bill at State House in Nairobi in October. On 19th 2023, Vice President Ligachi Gachagua, Health CS Susan Nakumicha (right), Attorney General Justin Muturi (second from right), and other related parties look on.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
Instead of taking Saturday off like other civil servants, President Ruto hosted the visiting Angolan head of state, João Lourenco, for bilateral talks.
Dr. Ruto, who pretends to be a hustler, doesn’t seem to give anyone a chance to rest until he gets the job done.
His frequent overseas trips have been criticized, with some saying he exceeded his travel budget amid the economic recession.
Since taking office on September 13, 2022, the president has visited 21 countries as of June this year, some of which he visited multiple times.
But his deputy, Ligasi Gachagua, defended him, saying the trip was not meant to be a vacation or a picnic, but to boost the country’s economy.
Gachagua defends Ruto’s overseas trip
Those who can’t cope seem to have a hard time. Recently, the President barred ministers and chief secretaries who were late to sign performance contracts at State House in Nairobi.
During the CS oath, Dr. Ruto minced no words in telling the spouses of ministers that due to the demanding nature of the job they were about to undertake, their partners were likely to be sleeping in the office or coming home very late. He said it was sexual. .
When heads of state are not in office launching projects or touring the country, they attend services at churches like Dagoreti today.
President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto are greeted at the Great Hall of the People during the state dinner hosted by President Xi Jinping for the visit of heads of state and government in Beijing, China, October 17, 2023.
Photo credit: PCS
He seems to have taken a leaf out of the book of the late President Daniel arap Moi, a political leader who used to attend church services every Sunday.
In fact, during his recent tour to the Nyanza region, his handlers ensured that church services were organized and held at the Kisumu State Lodge premises.
The president, who is only 56 years old, appears to enjoy the demanding nature of his job, which involves a lot of traveling to accomplish his job.
