Kenyatta Sworn in As Kenya’s New President

Kenya’s new president, Uhuru Kenyatta, who faces international charges of crimes against humanity, has been sworn in to office at a ceremony in a stadium packed with supporters and foreign dignitaries.

Kenyatta took the oath on Tuesday on a bible used by his father, Kenya’s first president, and was watched by tens of thousands of Kenyans, almost a dozen African leaders and other officials.

“I do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Republic of Kenya,” Kenyatta said, clutching a bible as he took the oath of office.

Many Kenyans hope that the son of the nation’s independence hero will live up to his pledge to be a leader for all and not just work for people from his own ethnic group, a practise they have come to expect from their politicians.

For Western states, big donors to east Africa’s biggest economy, Kenya is a vital player in the regional battle against ultraconservative Islam.

But they now have to juggle their wish for close ties with a policy of limiting contacts with those indicted by the ICC in The Hague.

Posted by Admin on April 9, 2013. Filed under AFRICA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry