Kenya Swears in President Ruto After Heated Elections
Kenya swore in its new
president, William Ruto, on Tuesday, following a tightly contested election.
Numerous African leaders attended the ceremony for Ruto but his chief election
rival, Raila Odinga, stayed away. As Kenya’s fifth president, Ruto faces a
struggling economy, massive debt, and a record drought that has devastated
northern parts of the country.
In an elaborate
ceremony, William Ruto took the oath of office to be Kenya’s fifth president at
Moi International Sports Center in Nairobi.
Tens of thousands of
Kenyans, a host of African leaders, representatives from foreign governments
and ambassadors witnessed the inauguration.
Ruto takes the reins of
power from former boss Uhuru Kenyatta, for whom he served as deputy president
for the past 10 years.
The incoming president
likened his win to that of the country gaining independence from colonizers.
"Our special gratitude
also goes to millions of Kenyans in the hustler movement for tirelessly
mobilizing for the campaign and executing a historic revolutionary feat perhaps
as great as the daring exploits of our legendary freedom fighters,” he said.
After years of neglect,
the incoming government campaigned on what it called a "hustler” platform to
empower the poor.
Ruto said in his speech
that he will work with Kenyans irrespective of whom they voted for.
Ruto said as one of his
first initiatives, he will lower the cost of food and announced the reduction
of fertilizers from $54 to about $30 per bag.
Samuel Nyandemo teaches
economics at the University of Nairobi. He says the nation's economic state
will make it difficult for the new government to deliver on its promises to the
citizens.
"He is inheriting an
economy which is highly affected by foreign debt, implying that it will be very
difficult for him to navigate in terms of trying to sort out the promises he
gave in the first 100 days. So, he is coming in an economic mess. They did, the
two of them, and coming out of that economic mess will require a miracle,” he
said.
By "they,” Nyandemo
means Ruto and his predecessor Kenyatta. Critics of the Kenyatta government
accused it of overborrowing and corruption.
As deputy president,
Ruto fell out with Kenyatta, who supported his rival in last month’s election,
Raila Odinga. Odinga lost with 6.9 million votes to Ruto’s 7.1 million in an
election marked by low turnout, a split election commission, and allegations of
fraud by Odinga.
In the past few weeks,
some members of parliament allied to the Odinga coalition party have crossed
into the government, a move that has many worried that the country may not have
a strong opposition to check on Ruto's administration.
Political commentator
Herman Manyora says the country could be headed for trouble if the opposition
aligns too closely with the new president.
"What might be the
danger that people are seeing given his current approach of poaching people? We
can quickly turn Kenya into one-party state not by law but by practice because
he is out to get all these people on his side and Raila is the only opposition
voice so if Raila chooses to keep quiet, he has had enough … then we shall be
going to one party democracy,” he said.
Odinga, who challenged
his loss unsuccessfully at Kenya’s Supreme Court, did not attend Tuesday’s
swearing-in ceremony. In a previous statement, he said he would continue to
work to transform the country into a prosperous democracy where each Kenyan
fully belongs.
VOA
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