After a close vote, William Ruto was sworn in as Kenya’s president

• William Ruto was sworn in as Kenya’s president on Tuesday.
• He narrowly won the Aug. 9 election.
• The 55-year-old signals that his leadership will be a strongly Christian one.

After barely winning the Aug. 9 election in East Africa’s most stable democracy, William Ruto was sworn in as Kenya’s president on Tuesday, and he instantly signalled that his administration will be strongly Christian.

The Supreme Court this week dismissed a challenge to the official results filed by losing candidate and longtime opposition icon Raila Odinga, completing a largely calm election.

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The 55-year-old Ruto was the retiring President Uhuru Kenyatta’s deputy, but the two had a severe spat that kept them from speaking for months at a time. The audience applauded when the two shook hands on Tuesday, and again when Kenyatta handed over the instruments of power.

“We had to treat some people who suffered minor injuries.” “The majority of them were brought to Nairobi’s main hospital,” Peter Muiruri added. There were no confirmed deaths.

People attempted to avoid security personnel holding batons. Some people failed. “I was pummelling by the police after attempting to enter,” one witness, Benson Kimutai, stated.

Ruto is gaining office in a country that is significantly in debt, which would complicate his efforts to fulfil broad campaign pledges made to Kenya’s poor.

Kenya’s presidency now passes from one politician indicted by the International Criminal Court to another. Kenyatta and Ruto were both indicted for their roles in the deadly post-election violence in 2007, but the prosecutions were eventually dismissed because to suspicions of witness intimidation.

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