Wealthy Kenyans imported over 300 helicopters from South Africa at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, it has emerged.



Recent data from the South African Revenue Service (SARS) shows that a total of 325 helicopters valued at Sh3.6 billion were brought in from South Africa in the year that Kenya experienced an economic slowdown due to the global Covid-19 crisis, leading to a massive loss of jobs.

The Standard reports that the aircraft were likely acquired by politicians as they prepare for campaigns ahead of this year’s general elections.

No helicopters were imported in 2021 but 519 helicopter engines worth Sh1.6 billion were shipped to Kenya from South Africa over the course of the year, according to data from the country’s tax authority.

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.

Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) Director-General Gilbert Kibe was quoted as saying in a past interview that the number of registered helicopters stood at 67 as of December 2020.

“Before we reach election time, I am sure they will be more than 100,” he said.

Kenyan politicians prefer to buy choppers from South Africa, where they get options to either buy or rent for campaigns. KCAA says that most helicopters in Kenya are from South Africa. In 2005, two years before the 2007 general election, Kenya imported 212 helicopters from South Africa.

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.