President Wiliam Ruto flew an Indian registered private jet with registration VT-CMR (#801425) from Nairobi to Bari, Italy on June 13, 2024. (Photo: Courtesy)

Even before the controversy over the “Arab friends” luxury jet used during his state visit to the United States settles, Kenyan President William Ruto, who rose to power as the “hustler-in-chief” by capitalising on his religious faith and humble origins selling chicken and eggs by the roadside, is at it again.

Ruto left Nairobi for the G7 meeting in Italy on Thursday evening, shortly after Kenya’s Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u presented the budget, which emphasised austerity measures to curb excessive wastage. 

He flew aboard an Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 600, a private jet chartered from VSR Ventures, an aviation consultancy company based in New Delhi, India.

The entity describes itself as one that “maximizes time efficiency” for its clients.

From Nairobi to Italy, with a refueling stop in Port Ghalib, Marsa Alam along Egypt’s southern Red Sea Coast of Egypt, the heavy jet flew on flight radar with an “NA” identification and no registration number.

This typically means the flight details are intentionally obscured for privacy or security reasons, often to protect the identity of high-profile passengers or sensitive cargo.

This is a common occurrence with luxury charters, as tracking an unknown aircraft can be a significant challenge.

The Eastleigh Voice team, along with collaborator Johnny Gemini, a seasoned plane spotter who enjoys “solving air mysteries”, spent the better part of Thursday midnight and Friday morning trying to determine if President Ruto indeed used a private jet.

Although Flight Radar failed to capture the identity of the plane, open-source data can often be circumvented, except in areas with no reception.

The Eastleigh Voice can authoritatively confirm that the Kenyan leader, known for his lavish style, used a private jet chartered from India and landed at Bari International Airport on the Adriatic coast of Italy on Friday.

The jet took off from Chennai International Airport in eastern India and flew to Nairobi on Wednesday afternoon.

The flight duration from Chennai to Nairobi on a direct flight is approximately 6 to 7 hours.

The hourly charter rates for a Legacy 600 private jet start at $6,200 (Sh798,250) to $7,000 (Sh901,250).

However, these rates can vary based on factors such as the distance and duration of the trip.

The flight duration from Nairobi, Kenya to Bari, Italy, on a Legacy 600 private jet is approximately 7 to 8 hours, depending on the specific route and weather conditions.

The jet has a maximum range of approximately 3,250 nautical miles (6,019 kilometers). This means it can stay in the air for roughly 6 to 7 hours.

But the Fokker 70 Extended Range (ER), the Kenyan presidential jet, has a maximum flight range of approximately 4,000 kilometers with 26 passengers.

Its endurance, or how long it can stay in the air, would depend on factors like payload, fuel reserves, and cruising speed, but it can typically fly for around 5 hours without refueling.

This means that the Presidential jet, like the private jet, could make the trip to Italy with just one refueling stop.

This article was first published by The Eastleigh Voice.