Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua displayed his personal Sling TSi aircraft, a four‑seater light plane built in South Africa and registered in Kenya as 5Y‑MCM.

The aircraft is equipped with a glass cockpit that uses digital displays and Garmin avionics for navigation, flight monitoring and engine data, and it includes an autopilot system to assist during longer trips.

Mutua explained that the Sling TSi can operate on both Mogas – the automotive gasoline used in cars – and Avgas, provided the fuel meets the engine manufacturer's specifications.

The aircraft’s fuel capacity is roughly 198 litres, allowing an endurance of about eight hours on a full tank, though actual flight time varies with speed, payload and weather conditions.

A four‑blade propeller driven by a turbocharged Rotax engine gives the plane a climb rate of around 1,200 feet per minute, making it quick to gain altitude under suitable conditions.

The Sling TSi can be fitted with a whole‑aircraft ballistic parachute, a safety system that can lower the entire plane in certain emergencies, though it does not replace standard flight procedures.

Mutua highlighted the aircraft’s versatility in landing, noting it can use conventional paved runways as well as suitable bush airstrips, enabling travel to remote locations not served by commercial flights.

He recounted a recent flight from Malindi to the Ziwani Bush Airstrip in Tsavo, where wildlife such as giraffes and warthogs were present on the runway, illustrating the unique challenges of bush landings.