In 2018, shortly after President Uhuru Kenyatta signed the Finance Act that introduced new taxes and stringent austerity measures, the government issued a tender for air charter services โ both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft โ to handle the Deputy Presidentโs official travel.Around the same time, the Uhuru administration withdrew Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) helicopters previously assigned to the Deputy Presidentโs office and reassigned them to the Office of the President.Deputy President William Ruto rejected the charter arrangement. Instead, he privately acquired three helicopters, including a high-end Airbus H145 valued at approximately Ksh 1 billion. The aircraft was equipped with night-vision technology, which at the time was available only to the KDF and the police.This private fleet proved to be the breaking point. It became clear to President Uhuru that his deputy had grown too powerful to be effectively grounded.