Being the man of means that he is, Deputy President Dr William Ruto once again flexed his financial muscle by flying his sophisticated personal chopper to West Pokot even as Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i prematurely cut off their trip there.
DP Ruto’s top-of-the-range Airbus chopper is not only costly but equipped with the latest aviation technology that makes it tower above even some of the country’s best military-grade aircraft.
This makes it the largest 4-tone-class military-grade chopper with the most spacious cockpit.
Apart from its opulent interior and sophisticated electronics, this chopper is capable of flying over land or sea for specialised operations that include emergency evacuations and Search and Rescue (SAR) missions.
Its twin-engine allows the Airbus H-145 to fly higher and still offer excellent visibility, a feature that led to CS Matiangi’s Airforce plane to make an emergency landing in Eldoret.
This was after the military pilots and technicians on land advised so after heavy rains pounded most areas of the country.
The Airbus also happens to be one of the stealthiest of choppers that have a noise-reduction feature enabling it to quietly land in virtually any terrain.
DP Ruto acquired the plane in 2018 in a move that pundits predicted as a precursor for a looming showdown in 2022.
The plane is believed to be the fourth in DP Ruto’s garage. It is rumoured to have set him back some Ksh 1 billion after he customized it for his tours.
His planes have become popular with politicians who want to arrive in style and display opulence.
The plane is capable of comfortably reaching speeds of up to 418 Kilometres an hour and offers 360 degrees manoeuvres during its most-demanding missions.
