September 13, (THEWILL) – Tens of thousands of spectators packed the Kasarani stadium in Nairobi, on Tuesday, to watch William Ruto being sworn in as Kenya’s fifth president.
“I William Samoei Ruto, in full realisation of the high calling I assume as president of Kenya, do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Republic of Kenya, that I will obey, preserve and protect this constitution of Kenya”, he said.
Tens of thousands of people joined regional heads of state at a packed stadium in Nairobi, to watch him take the oath of office, with many spectators clad in the bright yellow of Ruto’s party, cheering and waving Kenyan flags.
At his inauguration ceremony on Tuesday, Twenty Heads of State and Government attended the event, including Nigeria’s Vice president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari.
THEWILL reports that President Buhari, on Tuesday, paid a working visit to Imo State for the commissioning of some projects.
Ruto had defeated Raila Odinga in a bitterly fought, but largely peaceful election, held on August 9, 2022.
Foreign allies and independent observers have praised the conduct of the vote, which was largely peaceful and free of the violence that has marred past elections in the country of 50 million people.
Ruto won by 200,000 votes out of 14 million cast, but the Supreme Court, last week, upheld his victory, dismissing Odinga’s claims of fraud and mismanagement.
Outgoing head of state, Uhuru Kenyatta, who had backed his longtime arch-rival, Odinga, in the election race, has promised a smooth transfer of power.
Kenyatta finally shook hands with Ruto at a meeting at the presidential residence on Monday, after pointedly refusing to congratulate his deputy for several weeks.
Ruto has struck a conciliatory tone, extending a “hand of brotherhood” to his rivals and their supporters.
“We are not enemies. We are Kenyans”, Ruto said after the court’s decision.
While some local media in Kenya had tagged the inauguration as a dawn of new era, no one can remain blind to the challenges the new leader faces, in a politically polarised country gripped by a cost-of-living crisis and recurrent extreme drought.
Observers say he faces a tough assignment building goodwill after a divisive and expensive political campaign that lasted well over a year and was peppered with acrimony and personal slander.
A notoriously ambitious politician, who has been deputy president since 2013, the 55-year-old rags-to-riches businessman, who once sold chickens on the roadside, now faces the daunting task to steer a polarised country gripped by a cost-of-living crisis and punishing drought.
His rise to State House has been closely watched by the international community, which looks to Kenya as a reliable and stable democracy in a turbulent region.
Kenya is “in a deep economic hole”, Ruto admitted at the weekend, repeating his pledge to lower the cost of living.
Among his ambitious promises is the creation of a 50-billion shilling (400 million euro) “hustler fund”, to provide loans to small businesses, and a commitment to bring down prices for fuel, grain and fertiliser.
The task of turning around the economic fortunes of the country may not be easy, the International Crisis Group think-tank said, urging Ruto to address the challenges rapidly.
“Given sky-high popular expectations and an economy in dire straits, governing may well prove tougher than campaigning”, the Crisis Group warned.
About the Author
