Kenya’s immediate former Deputy President, Dr William Ruto, was on Tuesday, September 13th, 2022 sworn in as the country’s fifth President. He takes over from former President Uhuru Kenyatta whose tenure ended after leading the country for the past 10 years.
In a ceremony presided by Chief Justice Martha Koome, at the country’s Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in Nairobi County, the incoming President and his Deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, were sworn in shortly after midday.
Dr Ruto won the country’s presidency in the country’s August 9th, 2022 General Elections; a win that was contested by his then main challenger, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, but his election was upheld by the country’s Supreme Court.
In his acceptance speech, President Ruto thanked Kenyans for their maturity in politics and for maintaining calmness even during the course of the processes that followed the General Elections.
He also acknowledged his competitors in the concluded polls noting that their participation enhanced competition and enriched the public debate that underpins democratic choices.
The new president similarly made reference to the efforts of the different arms of the Government for all their input in ensuring a smooth transition from the previous regime to this new one.
I also congratulate those who went out to seek various roles in campaigns and elections, thus playing their part in keeping Kenya’s democracy robust
“It is (also) important for me to speak directly to the youth and especially those who participated, in one way or another, in the election campaigns. I commend them for resisting pressure and enticement to be misused as agents of conflict and disruption during the electioneering period. I also congratulate those who went out to seek various roles in campaigns and elections, thus playing their part in keeping Kenya’s democracy robust,” said President Ruto.
“Even if your candidates did not win, your participation in the activities of political parties, campaigns and elections is the beginning of the political internship. My political journey similarly began as a young campaign volunteer, fresh out of university. Your experience and lessons learnt should form the basis for your leadership journey,” he added.
President Ruto, in addition, announced a raft of directives and measures which he seeks to ensure are implemented in the coming few days as he begins his tenure as the country’s Head of State.
Such include the country’s rising cost of living and bringing down the cost of production to ensure that food costs go down. “Our strategy to bring down the cost of living is predicated on empowering producers. The forecast for maize harvest this year is below 30 million bags against the normal production of 40 million bags. The main cause of the decline in production is the high cost of inputs. Our priority intervention, therefore, is to make fertilizer, good-quality seeds and other agricultural inputs affordable and available,” said Dr Ruto.
He also touched on how his Government will address issues including the drought that faces several regions across the country, stemming the tide of youth unemployment, gender parity in appointments, the health agenda, education, and ensuring the success of devolution, among others.
The ceremony was attended by Heads of State from a number of countries, dignitaries and emissaries from different countries across the globe.
