Wealthy Kenyans Register 41 New Helicopters Ahead of August Elections

47 new aircraft including 41 private helicopters were registered in Kenya in 2021, according to official data.

Business Daily reports that the new registrations pushed the total number of planes registered in the country to 782, excluding those owned by the National Police Service and Kenya Defense Forces (KDF).

The acquisition of 41 choppers in 2021 is mainly attributed to the growing demand from politicians who are preparing for intensive campaigns ahead of the August 9th general elections.

Data shows that the number of helicopters in Kenya increases around the electioneering period as politicians seek convenient transport means to crisscross the country in search of votes. In 2020, 26 new choppers were registered in the country. 

Aero Club of East Africa (ACEA), a lobby group of private aircraft owners, also attributed the jump in the number of registered planes to a growing number of wealthy individuals with the means to own and maintain an aircraft. They include business people, large-scale farmers, and ranchers based in Narok, Laikipia, and Nanyuki.

The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) says that most helicopters in Kenya are imported from South Africa. Wealthy Kenyans and politicians prefer to get choppers from South Africa, where they get options to either buy or rent for campaigns.

In Kenya, it costs between Sh150,000 and Sh170,000 per hour to hire a three-seater chopper, and up to Sh250,000 per hour for higher-capacity helicopters. The average cost of a helicopter in South Africa is Sh200 million, exclusive of local registration charges.

Data from the South African Revenue Service (SARS) shows that Kenyans imported a total of 325 helicopters valued at Sh3.6 billion from South Africa in 2020. In 2021, 519 helicopter engines worth Sh1.6 billion were shipped to Kenya from South Africa.