President William Ruto flew out of the country on a chartered luxury private jet to Baku, Azerbaijan, while back at home, a matatu strike brought the nation to a standstill. Millions of Kenyans were left stranded at bus termini with no way to get to work.
The jet in question is a Boeing 737-8DV, also known as a BBJ2. It is an ultra-spacious VIP airliner manufactured in 2001, and it can carry between 19 and 50 guests. Aviation experts describe it as the epitome of airborne sophistication. The plane is registered to a private owner in San Marino.
Now, let us talk about the cost because that is what has shocked Kenyans the most. The return trip to Baku is estimated to cost 37 million shillings. A one-way trip alone costs about 18.57 million shillings based on a rate of 18,000 US dollars per hour. That means Kenyan taxpayers are exposed to over 37 million shillings just for the jet, and that is before you add delegation expenses like accommodation, food, and ground transport.
Ruto has tried to defend himself. He says friends of Kenya offered to fund the trip. He also claims the UAE offered him 73,000 US dollars when he announced plans to fly commercial with Kenya Airways. But many Kenyans are not buying that story.
Here is what hurts more. While the country was burning with a transport crisis, Ruto’s social media pages said nothing about the struggle of ordinary Kenyans. He only posted about his meetings and engagements in Baku.
The numbers tell a painful pattern. Between September 2022 and 2025, Ruto made at least 88 international trips. In just the first six months of the financial year 2025 to 2026, the Executive Office of the President spent 1.165 billion shillings on foreign travel. The state visit budget has already been overspent by 400 million shillings, pushing the total from a parliamentary allocation of 1.8 billion to a staggering 2.2 billion shillings.
And it gets worse. A principal secretary has warned that taxpayers must raise another 3.1 billion shillings to fund Ruto’s remaining 11 trips before June 30th.
All of this is happening while Ruto attends WUF13 in Baku, a forum convened by UN-Habitat where Kenya was invited to showcase its affordable housing and urban development leadership. But at home, Kenyans are walking to work because they cannot afford matatu fares or fuel.
The president is flying in a penthouse in the sky. The Treasury is overdrawn. Austerity is preached everywhere,, but it is not practiced by those in power.
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