Deputy President William Ruto travels a lot by air and his overtures have attracted criticism or applause. The DP has been associated with high-end choppers, despite his countless denials.
In 2018, he played coy with the issue, making a light joke, claiming that he loaned the choppers from Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria.
"Those that have been bothering me and asking me questions about the choppers that I use now have answers. The owner of this helicopter is now known. It is Moses Kuria. I normally just borrow the chopper to run errands here and there. Those who have been asking questions, now you have the answers," he was quoted by an NMG publication at the time.
The DP has been spotted flying in Airbus H145 and 5Y-KDN whose prices have been estimated at over Ksh 800 million each.
Close tracking of the choppers revealed that they were being managed by Kwae Island Development Limited Company (KIDL).
Kwae deals in executive transport, mountain rescue, luxury safaris, wildlife monitoring, photography, search missions, and survey, according to information available on its website.
Most of the planes are equipped with the Helionix Avionics System, which significantly reduces the workload of the pilot and enables the helicopter to fly and land even after experiencing a screen display failure.
Apart from the two choppers the DP adores, the company also owns Airbus H125, H130, H14 and BK117. Based at Wilson Airport, the company has been running for over 16 years, headed by Marco Brighetti.
The CEO was born in Kenya and started flying in 1989. He is aided by Christopher Stewart who is the director of flight operations.
Stewart is a qualified former military pilot with over 5,000 helicopter flight hours.
The company hit the headlines in 2019 when Ruto's former pilot, Maisiba Mario died in a plane crash aboard Bell 505X.
A report by The Standard stated that the pilot was an employee of KIDL.
Video: YouTube
