Papa Wa Roma's Day?: Eyes On Wetang'ula As Ruto, Gachagua Leave Country For Official Duties

• President William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua were out of the country on Wednesday, July 26
• It is a rare occurrence that both the holders of the presidency would leave the country simultaneously
• The Speaker of the National Assembly is the third in command in case both the president and the deputy are incapacitated
• Ruto flew out of Nairobi on the evening of Tuesday, July 25; at that time, his deputy had spent days in Rome, Italy

Nairobi - President William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua are out of the country, a rare occurrence in the presidency.

As stipulated in the constitution, a deputy president is the principal assistant of the president and shall deputise for the latter in the execution of their office's functions.

Ruto and Rigathi Gachagua fly out

Ruto flew out of Nairobi on Tuesday, July 25, to grace a human capital meeting in Tanzania.

At the same time, his deputy was in Rome, Italy, where he flew last weekend to grace the United Nations Food Systems Summit.

For a while, the country was without the president and his deputy despite Ruto's assurance he would be back in the country on Wednesday evening.

In the power pecking order in Kenya, the Speaker of the National Assembly is the third most powerful office holder after the president and his deputy.

Under the circumstances specified in the constitution, if the office of deputy president is vacant or they are unable to assume the office of president, the Speaker of the National Assembly acts as president.

In this case, it was unclear who was on top of things, given that the president did not publicly declare who he had assigned to be in charge for the time he would be away.

Among his many roles, the president directs and coordinates the functions of ministries and government departments on a daily, thus the significance of the office.

Uhuru and Ruto fly out simultaneously

Last year, former president Uhuru Kenyatta and Ruto, his then-deputy, flew out of the country at the same time but on different missions.

Uhuru flew to neighbouring Somalia for the inauguration of the newly-elected President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

The deputy president was said to be out of the country on a private mission, with his location remaining a secret.

Details of Ruto's sudden trip were not made clear.