Military rehearsals underway ahead of William Ruto’s swearing-in
The Kenya Defence Forces has commenced preparations for the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Dr William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua on Tuesday next week.
On Tuesday morning, the military was rehearsing the parade for the big day at the Moi International Sports Center, Kasarani.
This comes after the Transition Committee declared September 13, 2022 a national holiday to allow Kenyans to usher in the new leadership. According to the Assumption of Office Committee chairperson Dr Joseph Kinyua, the ceremony will start at 10am.
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“The President-elect shall take the Oath of Office as administered by the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary before Her Ladyship the Chief Justice. As per the law, this must take place any time between the hours of 10am and 2pm. Thereafter, the Deputy President-elect will also be sworn in,” Dr Kinyua said.
This comes following the verdict issued by the Supreme Court on Monday, upholding Dr Ruto’s election victory.
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The meeting saw a team of the President-elect joining the committee for updates on the progress of the preparations. The team that represented Dr Ruto was led by Davis Chirchir, Justin Muturi, Gladys Boss Shollei, Veronica Maina, Ababu Namwamba and Alfred Mutua.
According to Article 141 of the Constitution, the swearing in of the President-elect shall be in public before the Chief Justice, or, in the absence of the Chief Justice, the Deputy Chief Justice.
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Also, the President-elect shall be sworn in on the first Tuesday following the fourteenth day after the date of the declaration of the result of the presidential election, if no petition has been filed or the seventh day following the date on which the court renders a decision declaring the election to be valid.
In his speech on Monday after the Supreme Court verdict, Dr Ruto said that he will serve all Kenyans equally without bias, adding that his manifesto will unite Kenyans.
The outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta in his message failed to congratulate Dr Ruto, but assured the country that there will be a smooth transition of power.
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