President William Ruto has expressed dissatisfaction with how African Presidents were treated in 2022 during Queen Elizabeth II’s Funeral in London, UK.
Speaking on Saturday, April 29 during Mo Ibrahim Governance Conversation at KICC, Nairobi, President Ruto complained about how African Heads of State were loaded onto buses like school children during the event.
“It is not intelligent for 54 of us to go and sit before one gentleman from another place. Sometimes we are mistreated, we are loaded into buses like school kids and it’s not right,” said Ruto.
President Ruto urged African Presidents to be sending representatives when invited to such events instead of going.
“The decision we have made as AU going forwards is that if there is going to be a discussion between Africa and any other country we are going to be represented by the chair and the bureau. That is the position I am taking as the President of Kenya,” he added.
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President Ruto was among other African leaders who were transported by a fleet of buses on September 19, 2022, to attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral while Western heads of state were however allowed to drive to the event in their private cars.
US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill were driven in an armored presidential limousine popularly known as the Beast.
The move sparked a debate on social media with many Africans criticizing how the heads of state were treated.
