Ruto's jet-set lifestyle sparks fury as hustlers suffer on the ground

Nothing can come between President William Ruto’s appetite for the finer things in life and his taste for aviation refinement, not even a crisis in his own country, such as the fuel protests that have brought Kenya to a standstill while he enjoyed the epitome of luxury in Baku.

As Kenyans walked to work for two days because of the strike, with many others struggling to eke out a living amid the standoff between public transport operators and government officials, President Ruto was in the skies, enjoying the largesse that comes with flying a private jet, first to the Azerbaijani city of Baku and then on to Astana in neighbouring Kazakhstan.

He left the country on Saturday last week even as stakeholders in the public transport sector vowed to stall operations following the fuel price hikes. The irony, however, is that while players in the transport sector were protesting the increased fuel prices that have led to untold suffering for ordinary Kenyans, the President—who promised to put money into hustlers’ pockets—was reportedly using a private jet service costing taxpayers at least Sh3.2 million per flight hour, according to Globalcharter.com.

The jet, registered T7-BBJ2, arrived in Nairobi from London on May 14 at 6:04pm to airlift Ruto to Baku for the World Urban Forum. On May 16, 2026, the aircraft departed JKIA after 7 hours and 47 minutes in the air, landing at 6:06pm at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku.

Yesterday, according to FlightRadar24, the aircraft left Baku at 11:30am EAT, bound for Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, and was scheduled to land shortly after 2pm.

Executive boardrooms

The 19–50 occupant behemoth represents an elite evolution in corporate aviation, according to JetPhotos, an aircraft review site. It is fitted with executive boardrooms, private master suites, full-size showers and luxury dining spaces without compromising structural integrity.

“To get an idea of just how large the BBJ2’s cabin really is, it can seat 60 passengers in a high-density configuration. However, it is optimised for eight passengers, giving them plenty of extra space,” writes Jet Advisors, an aviation information repository.

This is not the first time the President has faced intense criticism for travelling abroad using expensive jets while the country grapples with domestic crises. Critics and political rivals have condemned these overseas trips as globetrotting and a tragedy of misplaced priorities, arguing that taxpayers are often burdened with the high costs of such flights.

At the start of this visit, Ruto was in neighbouring Tanzania for a state visit. For the outbound trip, he used a Kenya Air Force Dash 8 aircraft, typically deployed for VIP transport, but on his return to Nairobi, he reportedly used a T7-JET Embraer Legacy 650, according to records from FlightAware.

Misplaced priorities

The aircraft departed Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 06:33am EAT on Tuesday, May 5, arriving in Dar es Salaam at approximately 07:35am after a one-hour, two-minute flight.

Later that morning, the jet was tracked near Dar es Salaam at 10:10am EAT before completing a short 24-minute leg, last recorded near Morogoro at 10:34am EAT.

Its final leg, indicating a return to Kenya, was first detected by radar near Lake Manyara at 04:34pm EAT. The aircraft crossed into Kenyan airspace and landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 05:03pm EAT.

The jet features a redesigned cabin with improved headroom and is configured into three zones for dining, lounging or rest, and includes noise-reduction technology, Honeywell’s Ovation Select HD entertainment system, in-flight Wi-Fi, and spacious seating. It also offers one of the largest cabins, galleys and lavatories in its class.

According to FlyCraft, a pre-owned Legacy 650 is priced from about Sh2.3 billion ($18 million), while charter rates average roughly Sh1.1 million ($7,700) per hour.

The apparent use of both military and private aircraft within the same trip has fuelled debate over consistency and cost-efficiency in presidential travel.

Unmistakable style

In November last year, the President departed for Angola in unmistakable style, boarding an Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 650 private jet.

Independent flight data from tracking services Flightradar24 and FlightAware confirmed that a jet matching that model and registration departed Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at around 1:15pm and touched down at Luanda’s Quatro de Fevereiro Airport at precisely 5pm on November 24.

According to FlyCraft, a used model costs at least Sh2.3 billion ($18 million), while charters average around Sh1.1 million ($7,700) per hour, placing it firmly in billionaire territory.

Ruto’s reliance on high-end aircraft has drawn criticism, particularly after the official presidential jet, a Fokker 70 ER, was grounded due to recurring mechanical issues.

Another notable trip was in May 2024, when the President visited the United States and opted to charter a luxury jet that cost taxpayers Sh98 million, according to a quotation from RoyalJet, an Emirati airline.

The President would later say that “friends” had paid for the trip, but he did not provide evidence.

Reacting to Ruto’s decision to leave the country as Kenyans protested the fuel hike, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro separately criticised him for what they described as misplaced priorities.

Gachagua, who is in the United Kingdom, accused the President of abandoning his country “when it was burning” for an overseas trip aboard a private jet he described as “one of the most luxurious in the world”.

“He is paying Sh5 million per hour for the jet since it is the epitome of luxury. It has a full bedroom, a massage parlour and a spa with a Jacuzzi, steam sauna and massage facilities. It has four girls from Seychelles. He is enjoying himself when Kenyans are struggling,” he said.

According to Nyoro, the President’s decision to leave Kenya at a time when the fuel crisis was gripping the country showed poor timing.

The MP maintained that the President should have prioritised calming tensions and engaging directly with Kenyans instead of travelling abroad during such a critical moment.

“If I were in the shoes of the Head of State, I would not have traveled to Azerbaijan. Sometimes when you are in power, you may take a lot for granted, and I think the government is taking a lot for granted. It is the wrong time for that trip to Azerbaijan. We have much more pressing issues in the country,” he said.

He added “In the position of government, what I would have done is actually address the nation, maybe around the seventh of the month, because when you are in that position, you are not like me or any other Kenyan. You have information, you can estimate the rising cost, and you can estimate what will be announced on the 14th. So they should have come out, faced the Kenyan people, given the figures early, and then conceded where necessary.”