By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Kenya’s President William Ruto has said that the private plane he used to fly to the US last week was paid by “some friends” of the country, denying allegations of extravagance.
According to the Kenyan leader, the hired private plane which cost about 10m shillings [$73,000; £60,000] was not paid from the national till, saying the “friends” had offered him the jet when he opted to use the national carrier, the Kenya Airways to save cost.
He said there was “no way” he could have spent about $1.5m – the figure that was reported to have cost to hire the Boeing 737-700 VIP plane.
“I am not a mad man,” he said, speaking at a National Prayer Breakfast event in Nairobi on Thursday.
This has however attracted more backlash, with some Kenyans online asking who the friends are.
Heritage Times HT reports that Ruto went to the US last week on a three-day official state visit, the first of such trip by an African leader in more than 15 years.
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While he was there, Kenya secured a number of investment deals worth billions of dollars.
After returning to the country, the President defended himself against concerns over the cost of the trip, saying the luxury jet he had used was cheaper than the national airline, without disclosing the amounts.
Criticism continued, with some questioning his statement and others saying that he should have used Kenya Airways.
On Thursday, the president explained that he was told that the cheapest plane would cost about $530,000 and he instructed his office to book Kenya Airways for himself and his entourage of about 30 people.
According to him, when some friends heard that he was going to travel on a commercial flight, they asked him how much he was willing to pay for a hired plane.
“We have built a big reputation as a country and we have built friends… I said I was not ready to pay more than [$153m]. They said bring [$73,000] we’ll give you the plane,” the president explained.
He insisted he was not going to allow misuse of taxpayers’ money. “I must lead from the front as I tell others to tighten their belt, mine must be where it begins”.
“So relax and the debate must end,” he said.
But the debate has not ended and some Kenyans online are asking whether it was appropriate to accept the offer.
