It’s exactly three months till the August 9 elections, and new information has emerged showing lawmakers had acquired and registered 41 new helicopters.
Since last year, 47 civilian helicopters have been legally registered, with 41 of them belonging to politicians, according to the Business Daily. Politicians that need to tour their constituencies and regions to lure voters benefit from helicopters.
The increase in aircraft is also due to the return of regular travel following the decline of Covid-19 cases. Only 26 helicopters were registered in 2020, when the Pandemic began.
“The resumption of international flights on August 1, 2021, within the Covid-19 operating period spurred revival of passenger operations within the aviation industry and operators renewed their certificates of airworthiness in order to continue with operations,” revealed the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).
Aero Club of East Africa, one of Kenya’s private aviation clubs pinned the increase in registration of planes to the growth of wealthy Kenyans and foreigners.
Aside from politicians, helicopters are also bought by large-scale farmers, ranchers and business moguls. The latter especially enjoyed a rebound in the economy in 2021 compared to 2020.
The 2022 Economic Survey shows that the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) leap-bounded from a negative 0.3 per cent in 2020 to 7.5 per cent in 2021.
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) attributed the growth in economy to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and a conducive micro-environment.
KNBS noted that the sectors that benefited the most since the lifting of restrictions include: agriculture, transport, storage, real estate, repairs, wholesale, retail trade among others.
