Yes, DP Ruto needs clearance before leaving Country
When Deputy President William Ruto’s journey to Uganda was cut short at Wilson Airport over clearance, many things have been said about the incident.
But questions that beg for answers are, does the DP require clearance before leaving the country? What are the exact protocols before he is allowed to leave the country?
According to his office, his communication secretary David Mugonyi stated that the DP has been travelling outside the country severally in the past nine years and there has been nothing like seeking clearance.
“He was asked to seek clearance from Head of Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet when he reached the airport. We are surprised because this has never happened in the last nine years that he has been in office,” Mugonyi said.
According to sources that spoke People Daily Digital, the DP is required to seek clearance from President Uhuru Kenyatta before leaving the country, which is in accordance with the travel protocols of high-profile public servants.
Other members of the Cabinet including Cabinet secretaries, cabinet administrative secretaries and permanent secretaries are required to seek a permit from the head of public service.
“Under the National Council Security procedure on travel by top public servants, the deputy president’s foreign trips must be cleared by the president. CSs, CASs and PSs are cleared by the head of public service,” said the source who sought anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Kitutu Chache MP Richard Onyoka, a former foreign affairs assistant minister in the grand coalition government, also confirmed there are procedures that must be followed before someone of the DP’s stature leaves the county.
“The truth is, it is a normal standing operating procedure that either as a minister, assistant minister or even when the President is leaving the country there is a protocol that is always followed including when he is coming back,” he told local television on Tuesday, August 3.
But even as protocol dictates, he seeks clearance, allies of the DP argue that there is no legal requirement to that effect and therefore that cannot block him travelling outside the country.
