Mudavadi defends foreign trips as CSs seek to justify roles

The Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Ministry has defended the globe-trotting by Kenya Kwanza’s top officials as beneficial to the country.

Among the benefits the ministry, headed by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, lists, include attracting investments and sealing trade agreements.

Mudavadi’s office says it has conducted 24 trade missions over the last two years and signed more than 30 deals ranging from government-to-government, government-to-business and business-to-business agreements.

“The ministry has successfully finalised and signed a Labour Migration Agreement with Germany, with ongoing negotiations underway with Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Canada and Austria,” the Foreign Affairs ministry says in a statement listing its achievements since 2022 and commitments for the next year.

Another key achievement is the increase in diaspora remittances, which Mudavadi’s office says grew from Sh400 billion to Sh607 billion between 2022 and 2024.

The commitments form part of President William Ruto’s strategy to “enhance efficiency and accountability”, according to Eliud Owalo, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Performance and Delivery Management, who has led a two-week process of validating ministerial commitments.

The Head of State has come under fire for his frequent foreign tours and has struggled to defend their usefulness, amid queries of wastage during his State visit of the United States of America in May.

Foreign trips cost State House and the Executive Office of the President a combined Sh332.8 million, with the Foreign Affairs ministry gobbling up Sh3.2 billion in foreign tours during the last financial year.

Mudavadi has made new commitments for the next year, which include strengthening Kenya’s economic diplomacy. Others include boosting diaspora engagement and consular services.

Interior CS Kithure Kindiki pledged to reduce time for the issuance of passports to seven days within the next 12 months as a means of enhancing immigration services.

Similarly, Kindiki undertook to implement reforms in the National Police Service, the Kenya Prisons Service and the National Youth Service per a strategic framework developed in compliance with a report of an inquiry led by former Chief Justice David Maraga.

Water, Sanitation and Irrigation CS Eric Mugaa has been tasked to expand Kenya’s irrigation coverage by an additional 40,000 acreas within one year, a move that targets 60,000 farmers and which would generate Sh10 billion in crop value.