Kenya’s jet-setting President William Ruto appears to have regained his wings, taking to the skies again on Sunday as he flew to Kigali, Rwanda, to attend the inauguration of his ally, Paul Kagame, who begins his fourth term in office.

Ruto had been grounded for 57 days, largely due to the Gen Z-led anti-government protests that began on June 18th, which kept the typically globe-trotting leader in Kenya.

These youth-driven demonstrations, demanding government accountability, effectively clipped his wings, preventing him from embarking on his usual international engagements.

In his first 20 months in office, Ruto has already made 62 visits to 38 countries.

However, this period of being earthbound marked a significant departure from his usual pattern, especially as he was unable to attend the AU 6th Mid-Year Summit in Accra, Ghana, in late July—an event he would normally have attended, given his role in spearheading institutional reforms within the African Union.

While in Kigali, Ruto joined more than a dozen African leaders at the newly launched Amahoro Stadium, seizing the opportunity to reconnect with his peers—an opportunity he had missed due to the unrest at home.

During his grounded period, Kenya also suffered a diplomatic setback when it lost the bid to host the African Union Humanitarian Agency to neighboring Uganda.

The bid evaluation showed Kenya scoring 76.14 percent, falling behind Uganda, which led with 88.66 percent, and even trailing Equatorial Guinea, which scored 76.70 percent.

Nigeria followed closely with 74.50 percent. This unexpected hiatus from international travel has highlighted the growing pressures on Ruto’s administration, both domestically and regionally.