President-elect Ruto To Call Uhuru After ‘Months Without Talking’

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 5- President-elect William Ruto is set to call outgoing president Uhuru Kenyatta after his victory was upheld by the Supreme Court of Kenya.

The President-elect said he had not talked to the outgoing leader, “for many months.”

“I haven’t talked to him in months but shortly I will bring a call to him so that we can have a conversation on the process of transition. I know he worked hard in his own way but the people of Kenya have made a decision. We have absolutely no issue with the democratic choices of any Kenyans,”

Ruto was making reference to Kenyatta’s decision to back his long-time political foe turn friend Raila Odinga.

“When I chose to support Uhuru Kenyatta I did not give him conditions that he must support me, I made that very clear so I take no offense that he decided to choose and support somebody else, and therefore we will remain friends as we have been in the context of where we are and we look forward to building on the foundation that is already there on the many issuess that I worked with him and be able to take Kenya to the next level in the many things we would have loved to do but did not do,” said Ruto.

President Kenyatta was supporting his main competitor Raila Odinga, after their fallout with his Deputy of 10 years.

He says President Kenyatta will be accorded all the respect as he goes to retire.

The President-elect and his Deputy Rigathi Gachagua will be sworn in on September 13.

Transition/Handing Over Power To The New President

The assumption of the office of the president committee led by the Head of the public service Joseph Kinyua is expected to facilitate a smooth transition of power ahead of the swearing-in of William Ruto as president-elect.

“The committee is established pursuant to the assumption of the office of the president act that is ACT 21, of 2012 and in furtherance of article 141 of our constitution. The committee’s core mandate is to facilitate a smooth transition from the current administration to the incoming administration,” said Kinyua in a previous statement.

Substantively the mandate of the committee was supposed to be triggered after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) formally declared Ruto president-elect on August,15,2022.

This process was however delayed after Azimio La Umoja – One Kenya Alliance petitioned the Supreme Court of Kenya to nullify the results of the presidential elections.

The committee is expected to facilitate handing over the process of the outgoing president to the president-elect, organize for the security of the president-elect and organize the necessary facilities and personnel for the president-elect.

Also, the committee will coordinate the briefings of the president-elect by relevant public officers, facilitate communication between the outgoing president and president-elect and prepare the programme and organize the swearing-in ceremony.

“We will be making periodic briefings to the nation as the transition process kickoff,” Kinyua further noted.

The day the new president will be sworn into office will also be declared a public holiday.