President William Ruto with Hussein Mohammed in Karen
State House now says the plane that President William Ruto used during his State visit to the US was offered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government.
In a statement on Thursday, May 30 State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohammed reitariated President Ruto’s remarks that the government used less than sh10 million to hire the plane.
“As explained by the President on Thursday, the cost of the jet he traveled 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. This is how nations operate, supporting and partnering with each other for mutual prosperity, and there are plenty of examples to illustrate this,” said Hussein.
He mentioned 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.
Ruto on Thursday morning during the National Prayer Breakfast said he had instructed his office to book the Kenya Airways plane for the visit but his friends reached out to him and gave him the private jet for less than sh 10 million.
“When I saw the debate in Kenya as to how I traveled to the US there was all manner of figures. I am a very responsible steward believe me, there is no way I can spend Sh 200 million. It cost the Republic of Kenya less than Sh 10 million. I am not a madman, when I was told the cheapest plane was Sh70 million I told my office to go book Kenya Airways,” Ruto explained.
He added, “When some friends heard that I was going to travel with Kenya Airways and we have built a big reputation as a country some friends asked me how much I was willing to pay, I said I am not ready to pay more than Sh20 million and they said bring sh10 million we will give you the plane.”
Also Read: President Ruto Reveals Amount Of Money He Used To Hire Private Jet To US
