President William Ruto may have opted for a private jet for his domestic runs in Tanzania and his return to Kenya following a highly publicised state visit.
For the outbound trip, the President used a Kenya Air Force Dash 8 aircraft, typically deployed for VIP transport, marking a shift from his recent reliance on luxury chartered jets for foreign travel.
However, photos seen by TNX Africa suggest his return to Nairobi was aboard a privately chartered jet.
Images shared by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen showed the fuselage of what appeared to be a high-end Embraer private jet.
To verify this, we reviewed publicly available flight data within the same timeframe as Ruto’s departure from Tanzania.
Records from FlightAware show the flight path of a T7-JET Embraer Legacy 650, aligning with the President’s itinerary.
The aircraft departed Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 06:33 AM EAT on Tuesday, May 5, arriving in Dar es Salaam at approximately 07:35 AM after a one-hour, two-minute flight.
Later that morning, the jet was tracked near Dar es Salaam at 10:10 AM EAT before completing a short 24-minute leg, last recorded near Morogoro at 10:34 AM EAT.
Its final leg, indicating a return to Kenya, was first detected by radar near Lake Manyara at 04:34 PM EAT. The aircraft crossed into Kenyan airspace and landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 05:03 PM EAT.
These timestamps align with Ruto’s arrival at JKIA, where he was received by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Chief of Defence Forces Charles Kahariri, and Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen.
“This evening, I was honoured to join H.E. Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and other leaders in welcoming the President, H.E. William Samoei Ruto, who arrived home from his successful tour of Tanzania,” Murkomen wrote in a social media post.
The images have reignited scrutiny over the cost of executive travel at a time when government spending remains under close watch.
Ruto has previously used the same aircraft for regional travel. In November last year, he flew to Angola aboard the T7-JET, months after travelling to Ethiopia in a luxury Gulfstream V jet.
His 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.
Introduced in 2010, the Brazilian-made Legacy 650 combines long-range capability with executive comfort, with a range of up to 3,900 nautical miles. It features a redesigned cabin with improved headroom and is configured into three zones for dining, lounging, or rest.
The jet 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.
Ownership of the San Marino-registered T7-JET remains unclear across multiple aircraft registries, where it is listed as “private” or “unknown.”
Aviation database LAAS International cites previous registrations including N908SK, N1184U, G-WIRG, and PR-LBY, though these details could not be independently verified.
One aviation site linked the aircraft to Jet Aviation, but a review of the company’s fleet listings does not include the jet.
What is clear is the cost. 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.
On X, journalist Mwangi Maina wrote, “The Ruto administration mixed air transport. He used a military aircraft for state visit arrival in Tanzania and now has switched to a private jet for internal movement (Dar-Dodoma),” a post that triggered reactions to Ruto’s conspicuous luxury travel.
One user, Kim, reacted, “We have a very wasteful and extravagant president’’.
During the visit, Ruto held bilateral talks with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan in Dar es Salaam, focusing on trade and key infrastructure projects.
He also addressed the Tanzanian Parliament in Dodoma, stressing the need for regional cooperation, economic integration, and shared development goals within East Africa.