Source: BBC
Kenya’s newly elected President William Ruto is due to take the oath of office today as Kenya’s fifth President since independence in 1963. Mr. Ruto won last month’s election narrowly, beating the seasoned politician Raila Odinga in a result that was confirmed by the Supreme Court.
About 20 Heads of State from across Africa are expected in Nairobi to witness the transition.
The Outgoing President, Uhuru Kenyatta, who backed Mr Odinga, however congratulated the winner of the Presidential election yesterday.
Mr. Ruto will have to tackle as a matter of urgency an economy in dire straits and a deeply polarised country.
More than 60,000 people are expected to attend the inauguration at Nairobi’s Kasarani Sports Centre.
In anticipation of being part of history, reports say Kenyans started arriving at the venue as early as 3am and by 5am, the Police said the stadium was already filled to capacity.
Who is William Ruto?
According to Wikipedia, William Kipchirchir Samoei Arap Ruto (born 21 December 1966) is a Kenyan politician who is serving as the fifth and current President of Kenya. Prior to ascending to the Presidency, Ruto was the 11th deputy president. He previously served in several cabinet positions such as the Minister for Home Affairs from August to December 2002, the Minister of Agriculture from 2008 to 2010 and as Minister for Higher Education from April to October 2010.
Ruto was elected Member of Parliament for Eldoret North constituency from 1997 to 2007 under the KANU and 2007 to 2013 under the ODM. He served as Minister for Home Affairs under the Daniel Arap Moi administration from August to December 2002. Under the Mwai Kibaki administration, he was Minister of Agriculture from 2008 to 2010 and Minister for Higher Education from April to October 2010. Ruto ran for the deputy presidency in the 2013 election under the United Republican Party, becoming the running mate of Uhuru Kenyatta from The National Alliance (TNA). Their ticket won with half of the votes. He would later win the deputy presidency again under the Jubilee Party alongside running mate, Uhuru Kenyatta in the 2017 Kenyan general election. He ran for the presidency in the 2022 election, under the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), winning with half of the votes.