NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenyan President William Ruto said Thursday that the cost of renting a private jet for his state visit to the U.S. last week was $76,000, in contrast to the $1.2 million reported by Kenyan media .
Ruto said some friends offered him a cheaper plane after he made inquiries and offered to travel on state-owned airline Kenya Airways.
The president took a four-day trip to the US last week, where his host, President Joe Biden, praised him for “bold leadership.”
Ruto’s delegation of about 30 people, including musicians, actors and a comedian, caused an uproar at home over the costs as he called for sensible spending. The president said Thursday that he was a very “responsible steward.”
Ruto had previously said the cost of using the private jet was lower than flying Kenya Airways, without providing evidence.
Ruto has been calling for lower government expenditure since the public called on his government to increase taxes without cutting expenditure.
The government is increasing taxes on basic goods in the coming fiscal year while trying to raise an additional $2.3 billion to finance the budget.
Earlier in May, Ruto defended the new taxes, saying: “I am not going to preside over a country that is in debt crisis. We have to cut back.”
