Comedian and scriptwriter Eddie Butita has revealed that he is one of the eminent men and women who will be accompanying President William Ruto on his upcoming USA tour.

President Ruto is scheduled to visit the United States on an official state visit on May 23, 2024, the first time in two decades that an African president has been accorded a state visit in the US.

President Ruto will be only the sixth head of state – after the leaders of South Korea, France, India, Australia and Japan – to be accorded a state visit during the Biden presidency.

Expressing his excitement at being part of the VIP entourage, Butita said that he was glad the creative industry was part of the "conversations" the delegation would hold during the tour.

"I am leaving for the USA today. Thank you, His Excellency President William Samoei Ruto, for choosing me to accompany you to the United States Of America State Visit hosted by the USA President, His Excellency President Joe Biden," he wrote. 

"The fact that I'm part of the head of the state delegation is a clear sign, and we are happy that the creative industry is part of the conversations we are going to have during this trip."

According to President Ruto, Kenya will, amongst other things, launch an initiative with the United States to develop a green manufacturing base in Kenya, accelerate the country’s production of clean energy, build supply chains for batteries and electric vehicles, and encourage investment by U.S. companies seeking factories powered by renewable energy.

According to official press releases, President Joe Biden also hopes the engagement sends the message that the US remains invested in Africa in a period of growing competition with its key geopolitical rivals, China and Russia.

Butita's dalliance wirh State House began sometimes last year when he was part of the Kenyan creators invited for a State House function in honor of the Kenya National Drama Festival champions. 

Back then, the President joked that Butita and his comedic colleagues earned more than him - a testament of the growing lucrativeness of the Kenyan creative industry.

Back in March, while speaking at State House during the president's meeting with the Facebook Management Team on monetisation, Butita jokingly advised President William Ruto to monetise his Facebook page so that he can earn more money.

"Last year Mr President you mentioned that I earn more than your salary, I think this year you will overtake me because you have a Facebook page, all you need to do is monetise it," he said.

Putting all jokes aside, Butita also asked the president to make plans with Meta to organise workshops and training sessions for Kenyan content creators to take advantage of tools provided by Meta for monetisation.