NAIROBI, Kenya Sep 13 – There was no excitement at the Kasarani Stadium on Tuesday, when outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta arrived to handover power to his deputy William Ruto.
Compared to the heroic applause Ruto received when he made way to the stadium, accompanied by his wife Racheal, there was no applause for Kenyatta.
President Kenyatta and President-Elect Ruto have for months had a frosty relationship after the former endorsed Azimio Leader Raila Odinga as his preferred successor.
Odinga lost in the August 9, 2022 polls to President-Elect Ruto.
On Monday during his farewell speech to Kenyans, President Kenyatta formally congratulated President-Elect Ruto and wished him success.
The congratulatory message came 29 days after Ruto was declared winner of the hotly contested poll by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
President Kenyatta had previously stated that he recognizes Odinga as his leader and not Ruto.
The outgoing Leader, however, struck a conciliatory tone on Monday and urged his successor to be a “unifier” of the nation.
