President of Kenya, William Ruto has shown his commitment to fiscal responsibility and environmental sustainability by drastically reducing the number of delegates that travelled with him to the 28th session of the Conference of Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Dubai.
According to a document signed by Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi, the Kenyan delegation to COP28 consists of only 51 essential staff from across the government, including the president, the first lady, the second lady, and the prime cabinet secretary.
This is a 73% cut from the initial list of 189 people that was submitted to the president for approval.
The president reportedly returned the first list to the bureaucracy and demanded cuts, saying that it was unacceptable to spend so much public money on a large and unnecessary delegation.
The list was revised to 144 people, but the president was still not satisfied and instructed that the list should come down to below 60. After further scrutiny, the final list of 51 delegates was approved by the president.
The president’s decision has been praised by many Kenyans as a sign of his leadership and vision for the country. Some have also contrasted his move with the previous administration, which was accused of wasteful spending and corruption. The president has also been commended for his active participation in the global efforts to combat climate change and promote green development.
The COP28 is a crucial meeting of the parties to the UNFCCC, which aims to strengthen the implementation of the Paris Agreement and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon and resilient future. The COP28 is being held from 30th November to 12th December, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. #Kenya