Outgoing president Uhuru Kenyatta has refrained from congratulating his deputy William Ruto over his election victory even after it was upheld by the supreme court following a last ditch effort by opposition leader Raila Odinga to overturn it.
It was an open secret throughout the run-up to the polls that President Kenyatta who fell out with Ruto since 2018, was backing his main rival Odinga, going as far as campaigning vociferously for the 77-year-old veteran politician in his fifth and apparently final shot at the Kenyan presidency.
Kenyatta had criticised Ruto as unreliable and unfit to succeed him as Kenya’s next president, a criticism countered by his deputy who accused him of attempting to keep in place the Jomo Kenyatta and Oginga Odinga political dynasties at the expense of poor, vulnerable citizens.
However, after the country’s top court on Monday validated Ruto as president-elect, Uhuru ended his post-election reticence with a statement committing himself to not only upholding the law but executing the ruling which confirmed his deputy as his successor.
There was no congratulatory overtures toward Ruto, who was Kenyatta’s running mate in the 2013 and 2018 election.
He however, promised to work with the president-elect for a smooth transition of power later in September, reminding Kenyans that he had made a pledge to uphold the law in accordance with the dictates of the courts who are its custodians.
“In keeping to the pledge that I made to uphold the rule of law when I took the oath of office, I commit to executing the orders of this court to the letter,” Kenyatta said.
He said to this end all the required orders have been issued.
Reacting to the verdict by the supreme court, Ruto, 55 said he was humbled by the popular will of the people and would consult with Kenyatta for a smooth transition despite not talking to him for a long time.
Ruto vowed to plunge into the fight against corruption, a key promise he had made during his campaign to be elected and promised a peaceful retirement life for his predecessor without any ill will over Kenyatta’s decision to back his rival Odinga who he described as a worthy competitor.
Ahead of the three contenders Ruto, polled, 7,176, 141 votes or 50.49 percent in the August 9th elections.
This was the ballot just over half of the total number of ballot, which precluded a second round, according to the Independent electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
His main challenger Raila polled 6, 942,930, representing 48.85 percent of the vote.
Ruto, the hustler hawked chickens along the Nairobi-Eldoret highway and eventually became a chicken farmer years after he had amassed a business fortune which allowed him to purchase a farm in his native village.
The holder of a PhD and Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Nairobi went to school at the Kerotet Primary School, before his secondary school education at the Wareng Secondary School and the Kapsabet Boys High School in Nandi County, from where he emerged with both his Ordinary and Advanced level certificates.
WN/as/APA