Ruto Explains Why It Was Cheap To Fly With Private Jet To US

Ruto argued that the jet presented the cheapest option compared to using commercial means to fly directly to the United States from Kenya.

Marvin Chege Marvin Chege
May 26, 2024 - 18:25
0
Ruto Explains Why It Was Cheap To Fly With Private Jet To US
President William Ruto departs for the US on May 19, 2024. /DPPS

President William Ruto on Sunday, May 26 assured Kenyans that it was cheaper to hire a private jet to travel to the United States of America (USA) for his four-day state visit, despite claims that the jet was leased for five days at a cost of Ksh200 million.

In a statement on his social media pages, Ruto argued that the jet presented the cheapest option compared to using commercial means to fly directly to the United States from Kenya.

This is given that he would have had to use national carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) from Nairobi to New York and then connecting flights between Atlanta and Washington DC, a matter which he believed, would incur hefty costs in terms of booking tickets.

President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto's reception upon arriving at Atlanta, Georgia, USA on May 20, 2024. /PCS

"Fellow Kenyans, I have noted concerns about my mode of transport to the USA.

"As a responsible steward of public resources and in keeping with my determination for us to live within our means and that I should lead from the front in so doing, the cost was less than travelling on KQ," he stated.

Ruto's statement may not however be received well by Kenyans given that Iceland's Prime Minister  Bjarni Benediktsson landed in Malawi "modestly" - aboard a Kenya Airways Embraer plane this past week.

A contingent of other state officials, security officers and entertainers were also on hand to welcome the Prime Minister as he disembarked from the KQ plane.

Ruto on his part defended the decision to travel in style to meet US President Joe Biden, arguing that this was informed by austerity measures.

"I think the expenditure on my trip is completely exaggerated. They actually border on ridiculous. I am very careful about the resources that I spend," said Ruto in an interview with VOA Africa.

"In fact, I have cut down on funding to my office, and to different government agencies. I have reduced by 30% expenditure in this budget so that we can accommodate living within our means and we can push more resources to the realm of development, education, providing health and doing the things that matter including cash transfers to citizens."

Ruto though did not reveal how much public funds were spent on the international trip. State House initially explained that Ruto and his delegation could not have used the presidential jet as it would have necessitated five stopovers for refuelling.

On May 21, the US Embassy in Nairobi denied claims that it footed roughly Ksh98 million to facilitate President Ruto's trip to the American nation on Monday, May 20 aboard a Boeing 737-700 Business Jet (BBJ) chartered from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) company RoyalJet.

The cost of the travel to and fro using the hired luxury plane drew international attention to the point that Government Spokesperson, Isaac Mwaura, urged Kenyans and journalists to stop obsessing over the costs of the trip.

Citing the potential for increased foreign investments and lucrative trade deals resulting from the State visit to the US, Mwaura argued that the benefits of the trip far outweigh its financial costs.

President William Ruto (left) and US President Joe Biden during a technology roundtable meeting at the White House on May 22, 2024. /PCS