Ruto shifts from private jet luxury to KQ after criticism

After a high-profile international trip that stirred public interest and debate, Kenyan President William Ruto opted to return home aboard a Kenya Airways (KQ) plane from his recent visit to Paris, France.

His choice of the national carrier for the return journey was seen as a gesture of national pride and has drawn mixed attention, especially after he chartered a luxurious Indian private jet for the outbound leg of his trip in Europe.

While returning to Nairobi aboard a KQ plane allows the President to demonstrate confidence in the country's infrastructure and promote national pride, his decision to fly a private jet earlier raises questions about the optics of his travel choices.

How and where did Ruto board the Kenya Airways plane, with registration number 5Y-KZC, for his return journey?

The Kenyan leader, coming from Switzerland, where he attended the Ukraine Peace Summit at Burgenstock Resort near Lucerne, did not board the KQ plane in Zurich.

Instead, he flew from Zurich to Paris, France, in a private jet, before boarding the national carrier aircraft bound for Nairobi.

On Friday last week, The Eastleigh Voice reported on President Ruto's mode of travel to Italy for the Group of Seven (G7) outreach meeting.

He left Nairobi for the G7 meeting in Italy on Thursday evening, shortly after Kenya's Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung'u presented the budget, which emphasised austerity measures to curb excessive expenditure.

Ruto flew aboard an Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 600 registration VT-CMR (#801425), a private jet chartered from VSR Ventures, an aviation consultancy company based in New Delhi, India.

The entity describes itself as one that "maximises time efficiency" for its clients.

President William Ruto poses for a photo with Kenya Airways (KQ) crew at JKIA on Monday, June 17, 2024.. (Photo: PCS)

Nairobi-Italy flight 

From Nairobi to Italy, with a refuelling stop in Port Ghalib, Marsa Alam, along Egypt's southern Red Sea Coast, the jet flew on flight radar with an "NA" identification and no registration number.

This typically means the flight details are intentionally obscured for privacy or security reasons, often to protect the identities of high-profile passengers or sensitive cargo.

This is common with luxury charters, as tracking an unknown aircraft can be a significant challenge.

The Eastleigh Voice team, along with collaborator Johnny Gemini, a seasoned plane spotter who enjoys "solving air mysteries," spent the better part of Thursday midnight and Friday morning last week trying to determine if President Ruto indeed used a private jet.

While Flight Radar failed to capture the plane's identity due to it being on the block plane list, which indicates the owner's request for privacy, open-source data can often be circumvented, except in areas with no reception.

The Eastleigh Voice authoritatively confirmed that the Kenyan leader, known for his lavish style, used a private jet chartered from India and landed at Bari International Airport on the Adriatic coast of Italy on Friday.

The jet took off from Chennai International Airport in eastern India and flew to Nairobi on Wednesday afternoon. The flight duration from Chennai to Nairobi on a direct flight is approximately six to seven hours.

The hourly charter rates for a Legacy 600 private jet start at $6,200 (Sh798,250) to $7,000 (Sh901,250). However, these rates can vary based on factors such as the distance and duration of the trip.

A file photo of VT-CMR Embraer Legacy 600. (Photo: Courtesy)

Flying from Nairobi, Kenya, to Bari, Italy, on a Legacy 600 private jet takes approximately seven to eight hours, depending on the specific route and weather conditions.

The jet has a maximum range of approximately 3,250 nautical miles (6,019 kilometres). This means it can stay in the air for roughly six to seven hours.

However, the Fokker 70 Extended Range (ER), the Kenyan presidential jet, has a maximum flight range of approximately 4,000 kilometres with 26 passengers.

Its endurance, or how long it can stay in the air, would depend on factors like payload, fuel reserves, and cruising speed, but it can typically fly for around 5 hours without refuelling.

This means that the presidential jet, like the private jet, could make the trip to Italy with just one refuelling stop.

According to military aviation pundits, flying the President privately is more expensive than using the official jet, both in terms of costs and security.

The Kenyan presidential jet is operated by the Kenya Air Force.