State House on Thursday, May 30, 2024, clarified that the private plane President William Ruto used for his US State visit was offered by the United Arab Emirates government for less than Ksh10 million.
In a statement, State House spokesperson, Hussein Mohammed, reiterated that President William Ruto was committed to the austerity cause which the Head of State has insisted is the only way to set Kenya on a solid sustainability footing.
“As explained by the President on Thursday, the cost of the jet he travelled in for the historic and successful US State Visit was offered by friends of Kenya at a relatively low cost. In this specific case, the United Arab Emirates Government offered the aircraft at less than KSh10 million,” the statement read in part.
Earlier on during the day, President Ruto, during the National Prayer Breakfast, had announced that the jet was offered to him by friends after it was established the cost of chartering a plane would end up being to expensive for the Kenyan taxpayer.
Hussein highlighted that in 2018 the UAE government donated to Kenya six military-grade FENNEC helicopters and three ECUREUIL trainer aircraft. The donation included accompanying servicing spares, spare parts, and tools, cumulatively valued at Kshs 4 billion.
Additionally, he quoted the last donation from the USA govt which is now donating to Kenya 16 helicopters and 150 Armoured Security Vehicles under an agreement signed between the two countries during the President’s State Visit.
Hussein clarified that 8 utility helicopters, will be delivered in September 2024, while the other eight will be delivered by early 2025.
