State House on Thursday evening 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.
"When I was told the cheapest plane was Ksh70 million, I told my office to go book with the national carrier, some friends asked me how much I wanted to pay, I said I wasn't ready to pay more than Ksh10 million, they told me to bring the money and they gave me the plane," stated Ruto.
Further, Hussein Mohammed went on to elaborate and share examples of national cooperation from the UAE government and other nations in general that Kenya had benefited from.
First, 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 accessories, spare parts, and tools, cumulatively valued at Kshs 4 billion.
Additionally, he quoted the last donation from the US.
The American govt will deliver to Kenya 16 helicopters and 150 Armoured Security Vehicles under an agreement signed between the two countries during Ruto's visit to the US.
Hussein clarified that 8 utility helicopters, will be delivered in September 2024, while the other eight will be delivered by early 2025.
He further elaborated that Kenya has in the past shared her resources with her friends by way of supporting a peace keeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo at Kenya’s expense.
"Yes, Kenya has friends, and their interest is to have a secure partner state with which they can trade, invest, and collaborate," stated Hussein.
“This is why, last year, we sent our military to the Democratic Republic of the Congo - as part of an East African force at our own expense to stabilise the country and our region in general," read the statement in part.
