Kenya’s Presidential Aircraft Returns to Country after a Year-Long Upgrade Programme in Netherlands
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Kenya’s presidential aircraft, Harambee One, has returned to the country after undergoing a year-long maintenance and upgrade programme in the Netherlands.
The Kenya Air Force Fokker 70, registered KAF308, was serviced by Dutch aviation company Fokker Services Group.
During the overhaul, the aircraft received improvements to its interior and several of its onboard systems.
One of the major upgrades was the installation of a new Gogo Galileo FDX satellite communication system, which uses Eutelsat OneWeb’s low-Earth-orbit satellite network to provide high-speed internet while the aircraft is flying.
The system can reportedly provide download speeds of up to 195 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 32 Mbps.
Fokker Services Group also carried out extensive hangar maintenance and other technical work on the aircraft.
The company said KAF308 is among the last Fokker 70 aircraft produced and has been well maintained by the Kenya Air Force throughout its nearly three decades of service.
Harambee One has now returned to Kenya and is expected to continue being used for official duties.
However, the aircraft’s age has continued to raise questions about the future of Kenya’s presidential fleet.
Neither State House nor the Ministry of Defence has announced a replacement for the Fokker 70 following its latest overhaul.
A September 2025 government report had indicated that the latest maintenance could be among the final major servicing programmes for the aircraft before it is eventually retired and replaced with a newer jet.
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