Kenya:DP Ruto locked out again from the State House event

By Samuel Ouma

There was no show again for Deputy President William Ruto in the State House during the Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu on Tuesday.

The DP's Director of Communications, Emmanuel Talam, told the media that his boss was not invited when asked about the event.

"I can confirm there was no invite received. But you can check with State House," said Emmanuel Talam.

While the Head of State was receiving her Tanzanian counterpart, his deputy met a group of religious leaders in his Karen office, Nairobi.

Today's event is the third one the DP has missed this year.  Ruto, on March 26, skipped the vaccination exercise for Cabinet members and other top government officials and later defended his move, saying he was not invited.

“When the President decided that it was time for himself and the Cabinet to take the vaccine, I think inadvertently someone forgot to invite me and so I was not available during that exercise. I am not blaming anybody maybe some secretary there forgot to inform me,” said Ruto in an exclusive interview with Citizen TV.

He was also absent during the commemoration of Labour Day on May 1, an event in the State House.

President Suluhu landed in Kenya in the morning for a two-day visit and was received by Kenyan Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo, among other delegates.

She headed to the State House, where she was accorded the 21-gun salute before inspecting a guard of honor paraded outside the State House.

Her Kenyan counterpart then introduced her to his Cabinet Secretaries before embarking on bilateral talks with her.

She is expected to address a joint parliament meeting tomorrow.