Ruto Reveals Why He Opted for Private Jet
Ruto Reveals Why He Opted for Private Jet
On Sunday, May 26, President William Ruto gave Kenyans the reassurance that it was not a waste of money to hire a private jet for his journey to the US.
He said, “Fellow Kenyans, I have noted concerns on my mode of transport to the United States,” in response to some among his countrymen who had expressed doubt about the cost.
“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 the national airline.”
Ruto made similar comments the day before in an interview with VOA Africa, emphasizing that austerity restrictions had influenced his means of transportation.
Ruto said that it was absurd that people were bringing up the story that the jet was rented for Ksh200 million for five days.
“I believe that the cost of my trip has been greatly overstated. In fact, they almost seem absurd. I am really frugal with the resources I use,” he said.
Although rejecting the Ksh200 million assertion, President William Ruto did not disclose the amount of public funds utilized to pay for the trip.
During Ruto’s US State Visit, the cost of chartering the plane gained international attention, forcing government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura to ask journalists to stop obsessing over the trip’s cost and instead focus on the deals that would be signed, arguing their eventual benefits outweighed the cost of travel. State House initially explained that Ruto and his delegation could not have used the presidential jet because it would have required five stopovers for refueling.
