Wamalwa slams President Ruto for hiring private jet amid rising taxes

According to Wamalwa,  who spoke to Citizen TV's Sunday Live,  it was inappropriate for President Ruto to hire a private jet in the face of rising taxes and claims of empty coffers by government officials. 

 "You cannot say we don’t have money to pay for this, then the taxes you keep raising you are spending these taxes in a luxurious way," Wamalwa told Citizen TV on Sunday. 

 "What is so special about William Ruto that he must hire such an expensive jet?"

At the same time, Wamalwa claimed Ruto squandered a golden opportunity to promote Kenya's national carrier, Kenya Airways (KQ), during what pundits described as a historic trip, the first by an African leader in 15 years. 

 "It is also a way of the President failing to market Kenya Airways. Any President who is a patriot must show pride in going with Kenya Airways and flying the Kenyan flag and marketing it to the world," he added. 

Earlier, Ruto defended the use of a luxury private jet for his State Visit to the United States, claiming that it was cheaper than using Kenya's national carrier. 

“Fellow Kenyans, I have noted concerns on my mode of transport to USA. As a responsible steward of public resources and in keeping with my determination for us to live within our means and that I should lead from the front in so doing, the cost was less than travelling on KQ,” Ruto said in a tweet on Sunday. 

 Ruto jetted out of the country aboard a chartered Boeing 737-700 said to be operated by the Royal Jet of Dubai. He used the same jet to make stops in America, and later return to Kenya on May 25, 2024. 

A single trip from Nairobi to Atlanta on the luxury jet, which takes about 18 hours, is expected to cost taxpayers around Ksh.98 million. A round trip could potentially surpass the Ksh.200 million mark since Ruto also travelled from Atlanta to Washington, D.C., an additional two-hour flight. 

The revelations on the costly trip sparked public uproar, with Kenyans faulting Ruto for asking other public servants to ‘live within their means’ from the comfort of a private jet.