Kenya’s President William Ruto has mentioned that the personal aircraft he worn to fly to the United States terminating past most effective price about 10m shillings [$73,000; £60,000], following complaint that he was once being extravagant.

He mentioned “some friends” of the rustic introduced it at that worth when he had utility the nationwide airline to economize.

He mentioned there was once “no way” he can have spent about $1.5m – the determine that was once reported to have price to rent the Boeing 737-700 VIP aircraft.

“I am not a mad man,” he said, speaking at a National Prayer Breakfast event in Nairobi on Thursday.

But the remarks have provoked more backlash, with some Kenyans online asking who the friends are.

Mr Ruto went to the US last week on a three-day official state visit – the first such trip by an African leader in more than 15 years.

While he was there, Kenya secured a number of investment deals worth billions of dollars.

After returning to the country, the president defended himself against concerns over the cost of the trip, saying the luxury jet he had used was cheaper than the national airline – without disclosing the amounts.

Criticism continued, with some questioning his statement and others saying that he should have used Kenya Airways.

On Thursday, the president explained that he was told that the cheapest plane would cost about $530,000 and he instructed his office to book Kenya Airways for himself and his entourage of about 30 people.

But when some friends heard that he was going to travel on a commercial flight, they asked him how much he was willing to pay for a hired plane, he said.

“We have built a big reputation as a country and we have built friends… I said I was not ready to pay more than [$153m]. They said bring [$73,000] we’ll give you the plane,” the president defined.

He insisted he was not going to allow misuse of taxpayers’ money. “I must lead from the front as I tell others to tighten their belt, mine must be where it begins”.

“So relax and the debate must end,” he said.

But the debate has not ended and some Kenyans online are asking whether it was appropriate to accept the offer.

“Who are those ‘friends’ giving a president a gift? He needs to disclose this,” Karani Mutonga said on X (formerly Twitter).

“If it was a gift from an external source, it comes with some geopolitical implications. No free lunch,” said Mwangi Maina.

The continued row over spending by the government has come amid concerns that the government has been using taxpayers’ money to fund extravagance – which officials have regularly denied.

Since coming to energy in 2022, Mr Ruto has raised a number of taxes and imposed pristine ones, angering many Kenyans.