President William Ruto on Sunday jetted out of the country for the first time since being elected and is set to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on September 19.

The maiden presidential trip comes a week after he was sworn in as the President following the August 9 General Election that was upheld by the Supreme Court on September 5.

Dr Ruto is scheduled to join hundreds of foreign leaders from Africa and beyond in a dinner with King Charles III and later pay their last respects to Queen Elizabeth II, who was the longest serving monarch in UK history.

“Strengthening ties with the international community will catalyse the transformation of our country. Departed for London, UK to attend Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s burial. Later I will join world leaders for the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly, New York,” said Dr Ruto in a post on social media on Sunday.


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The state funeral of the departed Queen Elizabeth II slated for Westminster Abbey will be followed by the burial, which will be a private family affair and will be led by King Charles III, who inherit the throne following the death of his mother.

After UK, President Ruto will proceed to the US to attend the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting which is scheduled to take place in New York City.


The UNGA meeting to be spearheaded by UN Secretary General António Guterres is set to tackle Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), transforming education and mark the 30th anniversary of Declaration on the Rights of Minorities on September 21.

Leaders will also discuss how to end the Covid-19 pandemic and accelerate jobs and social protection then observe the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on September 26.