Questions have emerged after an Instagram post by Italian billionaire Flavio Briatore appeared to place President William Ruto in Dubai at a time when his official public schedule showed him actively engaged in duties within Kenya.
Briatore, a well-known global entrepreneur and former Formula One boss, shared a photo on Instagram showing President Ruto at his luxury restaurant, Lion in the Sun, located inside the Mandarin Oriental Downtown in Dubai. In the caption, Briatore said he had hosted Ruto and international healthcare entrepreneur Kamel Ghribi for a private dinner.
The post, which quickly circulated on social media, sparked debate after Kenyans noted that the date mentioned appeared to clash with the president’s confirmed local engagements.
According to publicly available records, President Ruto was on January 6 and January 7 touring parts of Western Kenya as part of his development agenda. On January 6, he visited West Pokot County, where he announced plans to list the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) on the Nairobi Securities Exchange by the end of January 2026. He encouraged Kenyans to participate in the IPO, saying even small investments would be accepted.
Later the same day, the president travelled to Mumias in Kakamega County, where he launched Phase Two of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme.
The World Bank-backed initiative aims to support nearly 50,000 young entrepreneurs, with each beneficiary receiving seed capital of KSh25,000.
On January 7, Ruto chaired a multi-agency meeting at State House, Nairobi, focused on tackling drug abuse and illicit brews across the country.
The apparent overlap between the Dubai post and the president’s local activities has fueled speculation online, with some Kenyans questioning whether the Dubai meeting may have been brief or conducted discreetly.
As of now, no official statement has been issued to clarify the timing of the meeting referenced in Briatore’s post. The discussion, however, continues to draw attention on social media, highlighting growing public interest in the movements and engagements of top leaders.
