Questions As Ruto Snubs Harambee 1 for A luxurious Private Jet, later DP Boards the presidential Jet

President William Ruto has come under scrutiny over his choice of aircraft for the COMESA summit in Zimbabwe. He flew on a privately chartered jet even though the refurbished presidential plane, Harambee One, is back in the country.

Ruto landed in Harare on October 21, 2026, aboard a Boeing 737-8DV BBJ2 with registration T7-BBJ2. He was attending the 25th Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Heads of State and Government Summit.

The luxury aircraft is reportedly available for charter at between KSh1.6 million and KSh2.4 million per flight hour. Depending on the length of the journey and any extra charges, the final bill could run into millions of shillings. The government has not revealed how much it paid.

Harambee One returned to Kenya in August 2026 after almost a year of maintenance and refurbishment in the Netherlands. Yet the government has not explained why the presidential jet was not used for the Zimbabwe trip.

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, meanwhile, travelled on Harambee One. On Saturday morning, he flew aboard the Kenya Air Force Fokker 70 to Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, to attend the 12th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa. The forum brings together African leaders and experts to discuss peace and security on the continent.

The contrast between the two trips has fueled debate about how the government selects aircraft for official travel. Kenyans are still waiting to learn what the charter cost and why the president did not use the jet that carried his deputy.

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