[PHOTOS] Leaders see off Ruto as he leaves for US

After a quiet day to mark his one year in office,  President William Ruto on Wednesday night left the county for a trip.

Earlier in the afternoon, he enjoyed the company of Nyanza MPs at State House where they enjoyed a cup of tea and held talks on various issues.

At night at around 11 pm, the President was escorted by his men in Cabinet and National Assembly to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

From the Cabinet, Interior boss Kithure Kindiki, Kipuchumba Murkomen (Transport) and Aden Duale of Defence were at JKIA to see him off.

National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung'wah and his counterpart at the Senate Aaron Cheruyiot were also present.

Chief of Defence Forces Francis Ogolla was not left behind together with Kenya Airports Authority Board Chairperson Caleb Kositany.

His Deputy, Rigathi Gachagua was however missing as he is currently in  Columbia.

His visit to the States will see President Ruto underscore Kenya's commitment to tech innovation.

In a statement,  State House spokesperson Hussein Mohamed said Ruto will visit Silicon Valley in San Francisco where he will meet with tech leaders of Microsoft, Intel, Google and Apple, among others.

The visit aims to enhance investment opportunities and trade relations with the US, he said, with a particular focus on nurturing Kenya's thriving start-up sector, 'Silicon Savannah'.

Ruto's next stop will be in New York City where he will attend the 78th United Nations General Assembly session.

The global gathering will assess progress towards the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals and address critical global challenges such as the climate crisis and debt concerns in the Global South.

He will also participate in the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Ambition Summit, building on the successes of the recently concluded Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi.

Ruto will chair a session of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change on the sidelines of the General Assembly.

He will also participate in discussions on the High-Level Panel for Sustainable Ocean Economy as well as hold bilateral meetings with world leaders.