No more Business Class for junior Gov’t officials as Mbadi proposes air travel restrictions
In
a bid to tighten the national budget amid ongoing austerity measures, Treasury
Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has announced a proposal to restrict air travel
for junior government officials.
The
proposal, outlined in the Government Transport Policy Proposal 2024, aims to
curb excessive spending by eliminating business class travel for those in lower
administrative positions.
"Air
transport shall be used both locally and internationally. This policy aims to
ensure the use of air transport is compliant to the existing austerity
measures. The policy recommends the use of business class is restricted to only
senior government officers of JGR and above," the policy document seen by
Citizen Digital reads in part.
"All other government officers on
official travel within and outside Kenya shall use the Economy class for
travel."
Additionally,
Mbadi wants to limit the use of hired air transport to exceptional
circumstances within the country, specifically in cases where other means of
transport are not appropriate, such as in security operations or during natural
disasters.
"Hired
air transport shall only be used within the country under exceptional
circumstances where other means of transport may not be appropriate, in
security services or in disasters," the proposal reads.
In
the event that government officials wish to charter planes, Mbadi states that
preference will be given to the national carrier, Kenya Airways.
"Preference
for air transport shall be given to the national carrier-Kenya Airways,"
the policy document notes.
The
development comes nearly five months after President William Ruto came under fire for chartering a posh Boeing 737-700
private jet operated by the Royal Jet of Dubai for his State visit to the
United States.
The
trip (Nairobi-Atlanta-Washington D.C) on the luxury jet had been reported to
have cost taxpayers around Ksh.200 million, but the President later came out to say the aircraft had been lent to him by his "friends" at a measly Ksh.10 million.
After
causing a huge national furore over his choice to use millions to charter the
private jet for his USA tour, President Ruto appears to have warmed up to the idea of using the national carrier for
his frequent foreign trips.
Lately,
the President, who had been grounded by political upheavals and mass
demonstrations, has gone back to hitting the skies - and has been noticeably
doing so via Kenya Airways.
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