Inside the multimillion off-road machine used by President Ruto to drive Somalia President

by Joseph Ogungo
Tuesday June 23, 2026

Screengrab of President William Ruto driving his Somali counterpart in a 2024 Polaris XPEDITION XP 5 vehicle with an insert of a model of the vehicle Photo Facebook

President William Ruto and Somalia’s President were spotted using a unique, multimillion-shilling off-road machine built for extreme terrain, during a high-profile engagement that drew attention for its unusual choice of presidential transport.

Ruto received his Somali counterpart at his Kilgoris home and personally drove him from the field where the visiting president’s helicopter landed to the residence.

However, public attention quickly shifted from the diplomatic engagement to the type of vehicle used, with many questioning its design, capacity and estimated cost.

The vehicle in question has been identified as a 2024 Polaris XPEDITION XP 5, a five-seat adventure side-by-side (UTV) designed for overlanding, trail use, work applications and backcountry exploration.

Somalia President Hassan Sheikh captured inside President William Ruto’s 2024 Polaris XPEDITION XP 5 vehicle Photo Facebook

According to the current dealership, the vehicle is estimated to cost around Ksh4.27 million (USD 32,999).

Built as a five-seat side-by-side utility vehicle, the XPEDITION XP 5 is powered by a 999cc ProStar 1000 Gen 2 twin-cylinder engine that produces 114 horsepower with quick acceleration.

The vehicle features selectable two-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, and VersaTrac Turf Mode, allowing it to adapt to a variety of terrains ranging from rocky trails to open countryside.

Narok County is known for its rough terrain, which makes such a vehicle suitable for navigating the area.

It is an automatic vehicle that uses the electronic fuel injection (EFI) system. It has a fuel capacity of 47.3 litres with a 907-kilogram towing capacity and features a 600-pound rear dumping cargo box.

In terms of technology, the vehicle comes equipped with Polaris’ 7-inch RIDE COMMAND touchscreen, integrated GPS navigation, rear-view camera, JBL Trail Pro audio system, and electronic power steering. This system also supports connected vehicle services and remote monitoring.

The vehicle is extremely rare in the country, with likely only a small handful of the units in the entire country. However, there is no publicly available registry detailing the available units.

It has only one official distributor, who is located in Malindi, covering Kenya and the entire East Africa region.