William Ruto was sworn in as Kenya’s president on Tuesday, September 13th, after narrowly winning the August 9th election in East Africa’s most stable democracy, signalling that his leadership will be strongly Christian. The Supreme Court last week rejected a challenge by the losing candidate, Raila Odinga, of the official results, completing a peaceful election in a country with a history of complicated elections.
The 55-year-old Ruto had previously been the deputy to outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta but had a bitter split. On Tuesday, the locals cheered as the two shook hands once again and as Kenyatta handed him the instruments of power. Ruto fell to his knees in tears and prayer when the court upheld his win. He knelt on the stage minutes after his swearing-in during an extended sermon.
In his first tweet as president, Ruto quoted Psalms: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” His speech praised both the church and Islamic leadership, and he vowed that “We will enhance our partnership, build on our collaboration and enhance our support to them.”
