NAIROBI, Kenya – President William Ruto’s recent trip to Luanda, Angola, aboard a chartered luxury jet has ignited a national conversation on government expenditure at a time when many Kenyans are facing economic hardship. The President departed on Monday, November 24, 2025, to attend the 7th African Union-European Union Summit and to chair a committee on AU institutional reform.

While State House officials have detailed the strategic importance of the visit for trade, investment, and continental diplomacy, public attention has focused on the mode of transport: an Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 650 private jet. This decision has been questioned against the backdrop of the government's own austerity measures and a challenging economic climate for the nation.

According to a November 2025 Kenya Economic Update by the World Bank, the country's fiscal outlook is under pressure, with a budget deficit widening to 5.9% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and public debt rising to 68.8% of GDP. The World Bank has warned that Kenya remains at a high risk of debt distress, a reality that has amplified criticism of high-cost presidential travel.

Justification and Precedent

The use of chartered flights for presidential travel is not new, but it remains a sensitive issue. The government has explained that the official presidential jet, a Fokker 70 ER named 'Harambee One,' is currently undergoing extensive, year-long maintenance in the Netherlands and is not expected back in service until 2026. Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya confirmed this in a recent interview, stating that interim measures include using other Kenya Air Force VIP aircraft, commercial flights, or chartering, though she noted these are not sustainable solutions.

This is the second time in two months that President Ruto has used a chartered jet for official duties. A similar controversy arose in May 2024, when the President used a chartered Boeing 737-700 business jet for a state visit to the United States. Initial media reports estimated that trip's cost at up to KSh 200 million ($1.5 million), a figure the President disputed, claiming unidentified “friends” helped reduce the cost to the taxpayer to under KSh 10 million.

The Cost of Travel

The exact cost for chartering the Embraer Legacy 650 to Angola has not been officially disclosed by State House. However, aviation industry estimates place the value of a used model of this aircraft at approximately KSh 2.3 billion ($18 million). Chartering such a jet typically costs around KSh 1.1 million ($7,700) per hour. A round trip from Nairobi to Luanda involves approximately 8-10 hours of flight time, suggesting a potential charter cost running into the millions of shillings, excluding other associated fees.

The optics of such expenditure have been starkly contrasted with the economic realities faced by many citizens, a sentiment captured by the initial headline from The Standard newspaper which referred to a "Sh2 billion private jet" amid a "cash crunch strangling many Kenyan households".

Strategic Objectives in Angola

State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed stated that the President's engagements in Luanda were pivotal. The AU-EU summit was set to review two decades of cooperation and address challenges like funding gaps and security pressures. President Ruto was also expected to hold bilateral talks with European leaders to advance the Kenya-EU Economic Partnership Agreement and seek investment for Kenya's key development projects in infrastructure, irrigation, and energy. As the African Union's Champion for Institutional Reform, the President was also slated to chair a session aimed at strengthening the AU's governance and financial autonomy. Despite these stated diplomatic and economic goals, the debate over the cost and symbolism of the presidential jet continues to resonate deeply within Kenya, highlighting the delicate balance between state functions and fiscal responsibility in a period of economic strain. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REQUIRED into the official cost of the charter.