State revives bid to hire 2 planes for Ruto

The State has revived a bid to hire two aircraft for Deputy President William Ruto after the initial tender flopped for undisclosed reasons.

The Office of the Deputy President Tuesday floated a fresh tender inviting bidders to supply a helicopter with special features and a fixed-wing aircraft.

This follows a similar tender to hire two aircraft for the Deputy President in October in a tender that sparked outrage with Kenyans on social media questioning the lease amid severe austerity measures.

Business Daily could not immediately establish why the initial tender flopped.

“The government of Kenya through the Office of the Deputy President invites tenders for air charter services (namely) helicopter (and) fixed wing aircraft,” said the DP’s office in the tender notice posted in local dailies on Tuesday.

They will be for the Deputy President’s official travel, the notice said. But social media users said the better option was leasing from government agencies like the military.

Several other State agencies like Kenya Power, the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco), Kenya Pipeline Company are said to own such aircraft.