William Ruto was sworn in as Kenya’s fifth president on Tuesday in a colorful ceremony attended by some 20 Heads of State and government.
Among the distinguished guests were President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique, Felix Tshisekedi of the DRC, Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Guinea Bissau (current chairperson of ECOWAS), Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti and Moussa Faki Mahamat, head of the African Union Commission.
Chief Justice Martha Koome oversaw the swearing-in of Mr Ruto, 55, to thunderous applause and a shower of confetti. The new Vice-President, Rigathi Gachagua, was also sworn in at the same ceremony.
On 5 September, nearly a month after the 9 August presidential election, the Supreme Court unanimously validated the victory of the incumbent vice president over Raila Odinga, a 77-year-old historical figure in Kenyan politics who had denounced “fraud”.
Mr Ruto beat Mr Odinga, backed by the outgoing head of state Uhuru Kenyatta and his powerful party, by about 233,000 votes out of a total of 14 million votes cast.
The arrival of William Ruto at State House, the presidential palace, was closely watched by the international community, which regards Kenya as a haven of democratic stability and an economic powerhouse in the troubled Horn of Africa region.