William Ruto, sworn in as Kenya’s president, touts his chicken seller roots

Published: September 14,2022

Kenya’s new president William Ruto, seen Tuesday behind fountain fireworks, holds up a ceremonial sword as he is sworn in to office at a ceremony held at Kasarani stadium in Nairobi.

Brian Inganga/AP

William Ruto was sworn in as Kenya’s president on Tuesday after narrowly winning the Aug. 9 election in East Africa’s most stable democracy, and quickly signaled that his leadership will be a strongly Christian one.

The Supreme Court last week rejected a challenge by losing candidate and longtime opposition figure RailaOdinga of the official results, completing a markedly peaceful election in a country with a history of troubled ones.

The 55-year-old Ruto had been the deputy to outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta but had a bitter split with Kenyatta that left the two not speaking for months at a time. On Tuesday, the audience cheered as the two shook hands, and again as Kenyatta handed over the instruments of power.

Ruto, who had dropped to his knees in tears and prayer when the court upheld his win, knelt on the stage minutes after his swearing-in during an extended sermon. “A chicken seller to a president,” intoned the pastor, highlighting Ruto’s humble youth.

Ruto’s first tweet quoted Psalms: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” In his speech, he praised both the church and Islamic leadership and vowed that “we will enhance our partnership, build on our collaboration and enhance our support to them.”

Supporters gather in the stands, one of them waving a national flag, as they await the inauguration of Kenya’s new president William Ruto Tuesday at Kasarani stadium in Nairobi. A number of people were crushed and injured as Kenyans forced their way into the stadium.

Brian Inganga/AP

The event began with some chaos. Scores of people were crushed and injured as they forced their way into the packed stadium. A medic said a fence fell down after people pushed it and about 60 were injured, though the number may rise. “We had to treat some with minor injuries. Most of them were rushed to the main hospital in Nairobi,” medic Peter Muiruri said.

People tried to dodge baton-wielding security forces. Some failed. “I was beaten by the police after trying to get inside,” said a witness, Benson Kimutai.

Ruto is taking power in a country heavily burdened by debt that will challenge his efforts to fulfill sweeping campaign promises made to Kenya’s poor, whom he has described as getting by on “stubborn hope.” In his speech, he acknowledged that “clearly, we are living beyond our means.”

He promised cheaper fertilizer as food prices rise and more affordable credit. He also vowed more money for the judiciary, financial independence for the national police from the presidency and efforts to fight a drought in Kenya’s north that brings the threat of famine.

Ruto also asked Kenyatta to continue “chairing discussions” on the regional crises in neighboring Ethiopia, where the government is fighting Tigrayforces, and in eastern Congo, where tensions exist with Rwanda. Kenyatta has accepted, the new president said.

Outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta inspects his last guard of honor during the swearing-in ceremony of Kenya’s new president, William Ruto, on Tuesday.

Sayyid Abdul Azim/AP

With the transition, Kenya’s presidency moves from one leader indicted by the International Criminal Court to another. Both Kenyatta and Ruto were indicted over their roles in deadly 2007 post-election violence, but the cases were later closed amid allegations of witness intimidation.

The August election was calm in a country with a history of political violence. Chaos erupted only in the final minutes when the electoral commission publicly split and prominent Odinga supporters tried to physically stop the declaration of Ruto as the winner.

Ruto’s campaign portrayed him as a “hustler” with a humble background of going barefoot and selling chickens by the roadside, a counterpoint to the political dynasties represented by Kenyatta and Odinga. His presidential flag features a wheelbarrow, the symbol of his campaign.

“A village boy has become the president of Kenya,” he said Tuesday.

But Ruto received powerful political mentoring as a young man from former President Daniel arap Moi, who oversaw a one-party state for years before Kenyans successfully pushed for multiparty elections.

Ruto now speaks of democracy and has vowed there will be no retaliation against dissenting voices. “I will work with all Kenyans irrespective of who they voted for,” he said in his speech.

But in a warning sign for media, local broadcasters accused by Ruto of bias in the past were restricted in their coverage of the inauguration and forced to use a feed from a South African broadcaster in which Kenya’s national broadcaster has a share.

The losing candidate, 77-year-old Odinga, is setting himself up to be a prominent opposition voice once again after being backed by former rival Kenyatta in the election. In a statement on Monday, he said he would skip the inauguration and later would “announce next steps as we seek to deepen and strengthen our democracy.”

Though Odinga also asserted that “the outcome of the election remains indeterminate,” a spokesperson told The Associated Press it was “highly unlikely” he would seek to declare himself the “people’s president” as he did after losing the 2017 election.

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