President Uhuru pledges smooth transition but makes no mention of President-elect Ruto

President Uhuru Kenyatta has vowed to oversee a smooth transition of power following Monday’s ruling by the Supreme Court upholding the election of William Ruto as president-elect.

Kenyatta, who had endorsed former Prime Minister Raila Odinga as his preferred successor, said he was committed to honouring the Supreme Court’s decision per his constitutional mandate.

“When I was sworn in as your president, I made a pledge to the country, to uphold the rule of law and the decisions made by the Judiciary on all matters pertaining to tour governance,” the head of state said in a video message on Monday evening.

“Today, the Supreme Court made a decision on the presidential dispute upholding the results announced by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission. In keeping to the pledge made to uphold the rule of law, I commit to executing the orders of this court to the letter.”

President Kenyatta did not, however, mention William Ruto by name or refer to him directly throughout his seven-minutes-twenty-four-seconds speech.

At the same time, Uhuru stated that the Assumption of Office Committee which steers the handing-over process had already kicked off operations as Dr. Ruto awaits swearing-in as Kenya’s fifth president on Tuesday, September 13.

“The process of handing over is in progress through the Assumption of Office Committee which had actually begun its work as of August 10, 2022. 

“Indeed, it is my intention to oversee a smooth transition to the next administration and all the necessary orders to facilitate this process have already been issued,” the outgoing president said.

President Kenyatta further commended Kenyans for conducting a peaceful election and expressed goodwill to all elected leaders in the August 9 General Election.

“I thank every single Kenyan for holding a peaceful election and for this I want to thank God, our political parties and every single individual Kenyan for bringing us thus far. I want to wish well all who have won as they guide our country into the future,” he said.

He at the same time called upon everyone to respect institutions “that midwife our new leaders”, and in doing so “constantly put them under scrutiny”, terming it the civic duty of every Kenyan.