One hand resting on the Constitution, the other holding a Bible, William Ruto was sworn in on September 13, 2022 at the Kasarani stadium in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, in front of 60,000 people including around twenty African heads of state and government.
Kenya’s new 55-year-old president has promised to “working with all Kenyans”at the time of his inauguration, at the end of a tight, contentious but peaceful close election that “demonstrated maturity” of democracy in this East African country. “I will work with all Kenyans no matter who they voted for,” he said in his first speech as president, praising “a pivotal moment” for the country.
The new host of State House (the presidential palace), who comes from a modest family in the Rift Valley (west), thanked God that‘”a village boy (that is) became president of Kenya”. A feat that is the result of a meticulous strategy. “He is considered one of the most effective strategists in Kenyan politics”notes Nic Cheeseman, professor at the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom).
The one who was one of the most feared men in the country won the presidential after working to polish his sulphurous reputation which mixed accusations of violence, corruption, appropriation of land and embezzlement which he has constantly denied. William Ruto thus chose to proclaim himself “hustler in chief” (“chief hustler”)leader of the “hustler nation” formed of millions of working poor trying to survive in a country beset by economic difficulties. En positioning itself as the spokesperson for “resourceful” of the common people, faced with the power of dynasties, he bet on a social cleavage more than an ethnic one which particularly found an echo among young people.
Former vice-president Kalenji (Kenya’s third ethnic group) and his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta, Kikuyu (the country’s first ethnic group), joined forces in 2012 to seize power after having been enemies. They were both prosecuted for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for their role in the post-election violence of 2007-2008, the worst since independence (more than 1,100 dead and 600,000 displaced) . The two men were then in opposite camps: Ruto then supported Raila Odinga, the historical opponent he faced during the presidential election. The ICC had described William Ruto as the main planner of the violence against the Kikuyu community in his Kalenjin Rift Valley stronghold, before dropping all charges in 2016.
A graduate in science, the new Kenyan president was a teacher before entering politics in the 1990s within the youth party of autocrat Daniel arap Moi. He likes to recall that he only got his first pair of shoes when he was 15 and selling chickens on the side of the road. He ended up at the head of a large poultry company, one of the pillars of his fortune which would also include hotels, thousands of hectares of land… The extent of his assets was the subject in September 2021 of a lively controversy between the Ministry of the Interior and the former vice-president who accused the authorities of wanting to discredit him.
During his campaign, William Ruto promised help and jobs to Kenyans. In his inauguration speech, he returned to his major economic measures, such as the creation of a “resourceful fund” amounting to 50 billion Kenyan shillings (about 410 million euros) to provide loans to small businesses. He promised to halve the price of fertilizers “by next week”. For the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank, the new president will have to respond to the “huge expectations” Population. And, he warns“governing will be more complicated than campaigning”.