Trailing Uhuru Russia trip

The Airbus has the widest and tallest cabin of any business jet handling up to 19 passengers making it ideal for corporate groups and large families.

When President Uhuru Kenyatta's motorcade left State House, Mombasa, for Moi International Airport from where he flew to Japan via Kazakhstan, a conspicuous jet with three parallel stripes waited for him at the runway.

And when Kenyans on social media in their usual manner seized the discussion on the jet, its necessity and cost, the authorities went mum.

In the absence of a word from the authorities, nobody knows how much it cost to fly the President and his delegation to Japan and Russia, what consideration came into play or even who footed the bills.

The Sunday Standard investigations have established that the Airbus A318-112 Elite A6-CAS belonged to a Dubai based company. It landed in Mombasa last Sunday at 5:33pm.

The Airbus has the widest and tallest cabin of any business jet handling up to 19 passengers making it ideal for corporate groups and large families.

“There are three spacious cabins with sliding partition doors for privacy. The Additional Centre Tanks allow the Airbus to fly nine hours non-stop while still allowing room for a cargo hold for intercontinental range,” the company thus describes the plane.

Images of the aircraft ooze nothing but comfort. Mahogany interiors, pure leather couches, sparkling bathrooms that would shame similar spaces in any commercial airliner. Then there are the other fringe benefits. A surround system, and DVD player in each zone complete with LCD TV displays.

It also has a satellite telecommunications system with seven cordless headsets, zonal temperature control as well as an entourage area, VIP lounge and Private Office. In case one wants to block out the noise from co-passengers, a set of noise cancellation handsets will be hanging nearby.

Data from Flightradar24.com shows that the A6CAS plane left Mombasa on October 20 and headed to Almaty Airport in in Kazakhstan before proceeding to Tokyo, touching down the following day.

On this date the President was among the over 170 world leaders who witnessed the best of Japanese cultural heritage at the grand enthronement ceremony of Emperor Naruhito on Tuesday.

“The presence of His Excellency the President and Her Excellency the First Lady at this very important ceremony for Japan is reflection of the time-tested relationship between Kenya and Japan that has grown stronger over the years,” Kenya’s ambassador to Japan Solomon Maina said.

On Wednesday, it left Tokyo for Sochi, again via Almaty. Sochi was the location of the Russia-Africa summit.

“On arrival, the President was received at Sochi International Airport by senior Russian Government officials and the Kenyan Chargé D’Affaires in Moscow, Ms Winnie Mwanjala,” read a statement by the PSCU.

Similar trip

Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma and other senior officials including Council of Governors Chair Wycliffe Oparanya and Chairman of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Richard Ngatia accompanied the President.

It is not clear whether these too traveled on the president’s jet. Then on Friday, the plane departed Sochi for a near seven-hour flight to Nairobi, touching down at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 8:50pm.

A quotation requested by the Sunday Standard investigation team shows that a similar trip would cost one close to Sh50 million all-inclusive.

According to quotations from two companies dealing with the leasing of the aircraft and a public listing on Aircharter Guide.com, the hourly price for this executive jet stands at Sh1.3million per hour.

If one was to take a similar trip to the one the president took after he left Mombasa, one would spend between Sh46.8 million and Sh60 million depending on the company.

According to flightradar24.com, the first leg of the flight from Mombasa to Almaty Airport in Kazakhstan took just over eight hours. The second leg from Almaty to Tokyo was just four minutes shy of seven hours.

After Emperor Naruhito’s inauguration, the plane and the entourage left Tokyo, again through Almaty in a eight-hour flight. It then left Almaty for Sochi in a four-hour flight.

At the end of the Russia-Africa summit, the flight tracker shows the plane left Sochi for JKIA on a seven-hour flight.

Data in our possession shows that for the period of the Russia-Africa summit, the plane was not stationery as it made trips to the Indian cities of Jaipur and Colombo.

Kenya has a presidential jet, the Harambee One, whose range is limited. The plane managed by the Kenya Air Force was acquired in 1995 to boost VIP transport. The aircraft was officially received at the Moi Air Base on December 20, 1995.

It seats 26 passengers with much of the cargo area taken up by extra fuel tanks to increase its range. Yesterday, State House Spokesperson Kanze Dena-Mararo did not pick our calls or respond to our messages.