Mercy Nalugo
8 December 2007
Kampala — PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has summoned MPs on the Presidential Affairs committee to brief them about his urgent need for a brand new Gulf Stream 5 (G5) presidential jet.
The President while meeting the MPs at State house in Nakasero last week said he is in a dilemma since manufacturers have stopped producing Gulf Stream 4 (G4) jets yet the government does not have the capacity to stock spare parts for overhauling the plane.
He said overhauling the plane is more costly than buying a new jet.
"The President said manufacturers have shifted interest to the Gulf Stream 5. The G5 flies for 14 hours express, is flexible for bad weather and its airworthiness is not contested," a source said.
The G4 the President currently uses is estimated at $35million (about Shs 63billion).
Asked to comment on the matter, the President's Press Secretary, Mr Tamale Mirundi said he did not attend the meeting.
A source said it will require more billions for him to acquire a brand new one.
Another source said State House has been advised that the President's current jet is increasingly becoming mechanically defective to meet his foreign tours.
The President explained that since 1986, he has been trading off old models with new ones as a cheaper option.
"I started with the G2 and it was traded with G3 because it could not reach London by express and would make stop overs. This was risky because the bad forces usually target planes while taking off and while landing. I wanted a plane, which went to London directly without making stopovers," he reportedly said.
The President added that the G3 could not fly to London by express. "We changed to G4 which is perfect, has a long range, security is guaranteed and there are no stopovers in dangerous places. It is also good because you don't land in third world airports which is risky .
But the problem at hand is that the producers s have stopped manufacturing the G4 brand," he reportedly said. The committee requested the President, the State House controller, Richard Muhinda and his pilot to do a cost analysis .
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