Monday, May 27, 2024 - President William Ruto has denied overspending taxpayers' money in his 4-day United States of America tour.
Ruto's Sh200 million luxurious
private jet to the US which was packed with freeloaders and joyriders sparked
reactions online, with Kenyans accusing the president of extravagance in his
travel to meet U.S. President Joe Biden.
However, speaking to VOA
Africa, Ruto dismissed the rumoured amount, stating that the numbers were
exaggerated. He said he was careful about spending resources.
"I think the expenditure on
my trip is completely exaggerated. They actually border on ridiculous. I am
very careful about the resources that I spend," said Ruto.
Ruto explained that the Kenya
Kwanza government had toned down on funding to his office and other government
agencies to re-channel the resources to spur the economy.
"In fact, I have cut down
on funding to my office, and to different government agencies. I have reduced
by 30% recurrent expenditure in this budget so that we can accommodate living
within our means and we can push more resources to the realm of development,
education, providing health and doing the things that matter including cash
transfers to citizens," the Head of State explained.
Kenya's president's usual mode
of transport out of the country is a presidential jet, a 30-year-old Fokker 70
extended range christened Harambee one with a carrying capacity of 26
passengers that can only fly five hours non-stop.
He opted for a chartered Boeing 737-700 business jet, from the Abu Dhabi-based Royal Jet group a premium private aviation company reported to have cost Kenyan taxpayers Ksh 200 million.
According to the specifications
of the ultra-modern plane, it can host 34 passengers, eight of them being VIPs,
and an executive bedroom, among others. The plane flies for 10 hours straight.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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