Nairobi — Focus has now shifted to President-Elect William Ruto’s swearing-in after the Supreme Court on Monday validated his August 9 election victory.
Ruto will now be sworn in next week on Tuesday, formally taking over the reins and succeeding his boss – President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is yet to congratulate him publicly.
President Kenyatta had backed Azimio Leader Raila Odinga as his preferred successor in the 2022 presidential contest but lost to Ruto.
After Ruto was declared the winner on August 15, 2022, Odinga moved to the apex court to challenge Ruto’s victory, but his petition was on Monday unanimously struck out by the seven judges for lacking merit.
“This is a unanimous decision. The petitions are hereby dismissed, as a consequence we declare the first respondent (Ruto) as president-elect,” Chief Justice Martha Koome said.
Koome added “any irregularities were not of such magnitude as to affect the final results of the presidential election,” she said, dismissing all the claims made by the petitioners.
The court ruled on nine issues that they had segmented and formed the backbone of the petition by Odinga and seven others.
Following the ruling, the Assumption of Office of President Committee chaired by Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua is expected to swing into action and ensure a smooth handover of power.
The committee whose core mandate is to facilitate a smooth transition from the current administration to the incoming administration held its inaugural meeting on August 12, 2022 setting in motion the process of handing over power to Ruto.
On Sunday, Ruto urged Kenyans to pray for President Kenyatta to facilitate a smooth handover process and retire in peace.
Ruto was set to address the nation following the Supreme Court ruling.