William Ruto Denies Overspending In US State Visit: "It's Exaggerated"

• Though unconfirmed, it was widely believed that the cost of air transport in President William Ruto's flight to the US was capped at over Ksh 200 million
• This was because Ruto shunned the traditional Kenyan presidential jet to go for a pricey chartered jet under an Abu Dhabi airline operator
• Speaking for the first time on the matter, Ruto said the claims that he splurged millions on the flight were far-fetched

Kai Eli, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

President William Ruto has dismissed the belief that the cost of his recent trip to the United States was deliberately inflated.

The president travelled to the powerful nation on a state visit at the invitation of President Joe Biden.

What did Ruto say of his 'pricey' flight to the US?

He opted for a pricey chartered jet in place of the traditional 26-seater presidential jet; the move subjected the trip to scrutiny by Kenyans who blasted the government for shelving the austerity measures to burn the taxpayer's money on the trip.

But speaking to the Voice of America, Ruto said the claims that his trip was costly were far-fetched.

He said he had not shifted his stance on the government's modest spending.

"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.

He further appreciated the necessity of cutting government spending to free the monies to other important sectors.

"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," he said.

Video; courtesy

Which plane did William Ruto use to fly to USA?

Ruto flew a chartered Boeing 737-700 business jet operated by Royal Jet of Dubai.

He abandoned the 26-seater Fokker 70ER, Harambee 1, due to its range limitations, as it can only travel for five hours nonstop.

In contrast, the stately Boeing 737-700 aircraft can fly in an ultralong range, exceeding most designed to fly between 10 and 12 hours a day.

A crosscheck into the Abu Dhabi-based airline showed it offers charter services for KSh 2.4m per hour.

According to the firm's quotation, a one-way 18-hour flight from Nairobi to Atlanta costs KSh 98 million.

This, coupled with his trip from Atlanta to Washington, would see Ruto's trip cross the KSh 200 million mark.

The revelation of the amount used in Ruto's historic trip did not go down well with most Kenyans online.

At a time when the country is grappling with tough economic times, most accused the president of preaching water and drinking wine.