MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Incumbent Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who won the repeated presidential election in October, was sworn in as the head of state for his second term, local media reported Tuesday.
"I swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Republic of Kenya; that I will obey, preserve, protect and defend this Constitution of Kenya, as by law established, and all other laws of the Republic; and that I will protect and uphold the sovereignty, integrity and dignity of the people of Kenya," Kenyatta said, as quoted by the Daily Nation newspaper.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that several thousand people had come to the inauguration to watch how the acting head of state took the oath of office. To contain the crowd, police used tear gas.
Police beat up people who attempted to force their way to gain entry in to Kasarani to attend #InaugurationKE. pic.twitter.com/TrzXytnCGY
— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) 28 ноября 2017 г.
The presidential election was held in Kenya on August 8. According to the election committee, Kenyatta won with 54.27 percent of the vote. His rival, Raila Odinga, received 44.74 percent of the vote. After the election results were announced, protests broke out in the country, during which nine people were killed, according to media reports. The Kenyan opposition accused law enforcement officers of killing more than 100 people.
RT AFPphoto "RT STPictures: Kenyan Police try to control a stampede as supporters of President #Kenyatta try to get into the Kasarani stadium to attend his inauguration #Kenya #KenyaElections #UhuruSwearingIn 📷 Simon Maina AFPphoto pic.twitter.com/MJmD9z7Dpu"
— Pierre Payan 🇪🇺 (@PierrePayan_) 28 ноября 2017 г.
READ MORE: Kenya's Election Commission to Make Internal Changes to Prepare for New Vote
On September 1, the Kenyan Supreme Court decided to invalidate the August presidential election, annul the results and hold a new vote following the opposition's appeal. The Supreme Court ruled that the election was not organized in full compliance with the country's constitution and with violations by an independent election commission. Given the decision, a new election was scheduled for October 26.
The task of managing multiple elections is not a simple business and for this reason I wish to thank IEBC For managing that process under immense pressure- President Uhuru Kenyatta #InaugurationKe pic.twitter.com/Y9DvCp20sJ
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) 28 ноября 2017 г.
According to the election commission, Kenyatta won again in the repeated election with 98 percent of the vote. The chairman of the commission, Wafula Chebukati, said that the elections were honest, free and trustworthy. The turnout was 38.84 percent. Opposition leader Odinga refused to participate in the repeat elections, calling them "false." Last week, the Kenyan Supreme Court confirmed Kenyatta's victory in the repeated presidential election.
Kenyatta is the son of the country's founding father and first president Jomo Kenyatta, a conservative African nationalist who played a key role in the transformation of Kenya from a colony of the British Empire to an independent republic.
