NAIROBI, Sept 13, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - William Ruto was sworn in as Kenya's fifth 
post-independence president at a pomp-filled ceremony on Tuesday, five weeks 
after his narrow victory in a bitterly-fought but largely peaceful election.

Tens of thousands of people joined regional heads of state at a packed 
stadium in Nairobi to watch him take the oath of office, with many spectators 
clad in the bright yellow of Ruto's party, and waving Kenyan flags.

"This moment is a moment like no other," the 55-year-old said in his 
inauguration speech to raucous cheers. 

"Today, I want to thank God, because a village boy has become the president 
of Kenya." 

A notoriously ambitious politician who has been deputy president since 2013, 
Ruto beat his rival Raila Odinga -- who had the backing of now former 
president Uhuru Kenyatta -- by less than two percentage points in the August 
9 poll.

But the Supreme Court on September 5 unanimously upheld his victory, 
dismissing his opponents' claims of fraud and mismanagement.

The 55-year-old rags-to-riches businessman, who once sold chickens on the 
roadside, now faces a daunting task to steer a polarised country gripped by a 
cost-of-living crisis and punishing drought.

His rise to State House has been closely watched by the international 
community, which looks to Kenya as a reliable and stable democracy in a 
turbulent region.

"Dawn of Ruto era," trumpeted the front-page headline in The Standard 
newspaper, while The Star said: "Time for Ruto." 

Several people were injured earlier as crowds tried to force their way into 
the stadium. Television footage showed dozens of people falling on top of one 
other in a crush at one entrance gate.

Police had urged Kenyans to watch proceedings from home after the 60,000-seat 
stadium was filled before sunrise.

- 'Hand of brotherhood' -

Foreign allies and independent observers praised the conduct of the vote, 
which was largely peaceful and free of the violence that has marred past 
elections in the country of 50 million people.

Kenyatta, who in a stunning turn of events reached a pact with his longtime 
rival Odinga in 2018 and banished his deputy Ruto to the sidelines, had 
promised a smooth transfer of power.

He had pointedly failed to publicly congratulate his successor for several 
weeks, finally shaking Ruto's hand at a meeting at the presidential residence 
on Monday.

Ruto has struck a conciliatory tone, extending a "hand of brotherhood" to his 
rivals and their supporters after the Supreme Court decision.

But Ruto's new deputy Rigathi Gachagua took potshots at Kenyatta during the 
inauguration ceremony, saying the new administration had inherited a 
"dilapidated economy".

And Odinga turned down an invitation to attend the event, charging that the 
election commission did not conduct a "free and fair" poll.

Observers say Ruto faces a tough assignment building goodwill after the 
divisive political campaign that lasted well over a year and was peppered 
with acrimony and personal slander.

"This is the time to close ranks, embrace opponents and help forge a united 
front devoid of cheap political competition," The Standard wrote in an 
editorial.

Many Kenyans had stayed away from the ballot box, with disillusionment and 
economic hardship blamed for the low turnout.

- Generous send-off -

Ruto said Sunday that the East African powerhouse was "in a deep economic 
hole" and repeated his pledge to ease the cost of living crisis, create jobs 
and reduce the country's $70 billion debt mountain.

Playing on his humble beginnings in the Rift Valley, the multi-millionaire 
had cast himself as "hustler in chief" and champion for the downtrodden 
during his campaign.

Among his ambitious promises was the creation of a 50-billion shilling ($415 
million) "hustler fund" to provide loans to small businesses, and a 
commitment to bring down prices of fuel, grain and fertiliser.

"Given sky-high popular expectations and an economy in dire straits, 
governing may well prove tougher than campaigning," the International Crisis 
Group (ICG) think tank warned.

Ruto, whose new presidential coat of arms bears his party symbol, a 
wheelbarrow, will get a salary of about $144,000 a year as well as all the 
trappings of presidential office.
Ruto's inauguration marks the end of Kenyatta's near decade in power, and one 
of the rare occasions his powerful family has not been at the apex of Kenyan 
politics.

Already one of Kenya's wealthiest citizens, he is entitled to a generous 
send-off under the constitution as he leaves office having served two terms, 
the maximum allowed. 

The 60-year-old will receive a tax-free lump sum of $324,000 and more than 
$600,000 in allowances every year.