HomeNewsPolitics Politics Meeting Ocampo a costly affair

Air fare alone is either Sh500,000 if Mr Ruto and his team travelled in economy class or Sh1 million if they travelled in business class. Photo/FILE 

By SAMWEL KUMBA skumba@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Friday, November 5 2010 at 21:54

Meeting International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo at The Hague does not just take guts but also money.

Perhaps it could have been easier and cheaper for suspended Higher Education minister William Ruto’s team to meet the prosecutor while he was in Kenya.

As the Saturday Nation established, the air fare to the Netherlands alone is about Sh125,325 ($1671) if one travels in the economy class.

But if one needs the comfort that comes with travelling in business class, then he or she will need Sh253,050 ($3374).

This means that for somebody like Mr Ruto, who is in the company of three other people, the air fare alone is either Sh500,000 if they travelled in economy class or Sh1 million if they travelled in business class.

Mr Ruto is at The Hague after Mr Moreno-Ocampo wrote to him and four other Cabinet ministers asking that they share with him what they know about post-election violence.

The Eldoret North MP is said to have asked Mr Moreno-Ocampo for a date, which was granted on Thursday and Friday.

Five other prominent Kenyans are said to have received similar letters and are probably looking forward to a date with the prosecutor.

While at the Netherlands, one has to spend in hotels and use taxis to and from The Hague offices, besides other expenditure.

Accommodation at The Hague is not cheap. Prices for rooms at most hotels range from Sh11,336 (Euro 109) to Sh28,600 (Euro 275) in three-star and five-star hotels.

At the lower rate, Mr Ruto and his team might spend Sh113,360 for the two lawyers who went earlier and hope to spend only five days and Sh68,016 for himself and Mr Charles Keter who accompanied him.

This comes to about Sh181,376 in total. If they went for the five-star rates, then the total cost would be Sh457,600.

This means that at the lowest rates, the Ruto team would spend nearly Sh700,000 and if they went for the higher cost they would spend Sh1.5 million to accomplish their mission at The Hague.

This is only air fare and accommodation. If you add other expenses, the total cost would range from Sh1 million on the lower side and Sh2 million. Even for people of means, this is a lot of money.