World

William Ruto will be sworn in as Kenya’s president on Tuesday after narrowly winning the coveted job in a bitterly fought but largely peaceful election.

About 20 heads of state are expected to attend his inauguration at a 60,000 seat Nairobi stadium, which was already packed with spectators before dawn, many clad in the bright yellow of Ruto’s party and waving Kenyan flags.

A notoriously ambitious politician who has been deputy president since 2013, Ruto beat his rival Raila Odinga — who had been backed by outgoing president Uhuru Kenyatta — by less than two percentage points.

He now faces a daunting task to steer a polarised country gripped by a cost-of-living crisis and punishing drought, say analysts.   

The 55-year-old rags-to-riches businessman who once sold chickens on the roadside will become just the fifth president in Kenya’s post-independence history.

By law, Ruto must take the oath of office by 2:00 pm (1100 GMT) on Tuesday, five weeks to the day since the August 9 election.

His rise to State House has been closely watched by the international community, which depends on Kenya as a reliable and stable democratic partner in a turbulent region.

Foreign allies and independent observers praised the conduct of the vote, which was largely peaceful and free of the violence that has marred past elections in the country of 50 million people.

Ruto won by only around 200,000 votes out of 14 million cast but the Supreme Court on September 5 upheld his victory, dismissing claims by his opponents of fraud and mismanagement.

– ‘Hand of brotherhood’ –

Outgoing head of state Kenyatta, who in a stunning turn of events had backed his longtime archrival Odinga in the election race, has promised a smooth transfer of power.

Kenyatta finally shook hands with Ruto at a meeting at the presidential residence on Monday after pointedly failing to publicly congratulate his deputy for several weeks.

Ruto has struck a conciliatory tone, extending a “hand of brotherhood” to his rivals and their supporters.

“We are not enemies. We are Kenyans,” Ruto said after the court’s decision.

But observers say he faces a tough assignment building goodwill after a divisive and expensive political campaign that lasted well over a year and was peppered with acrimony and personal slander.

“This is the time to close ranks, embrace opponents and help forge a united front devoid of cheap political competition,” Kenyan newspaper The Standard wrote in a September 11 editorial.

Many ordinary Kenyans stayed away from the ballot box, with disillusionment particularly among the youth and economic hardship blamed for the low turnout.

The East African political and economic powerhouse is reeling from a once-in-a-generation drought and inflation is at five-year highs. 

Ruto said Sunday that Kenya was “in a deep economic hole” and repeated his pledge to lower the cost of living as a priority upon taking office.

From humble beginnings, the multi-millionaire cast himself as a champion for the downtrodden during his campaign, vowing to create jobs and tackle a cost-of-living crisis.

Among his ambitious promises was the creation of a 50-billion shilling ($415 million) “hustler fund” to provide loans to small businesses, and a commitment to bring down prices for fuel, grain and fertiliser.

– Generous send-off –

The task to turn around the economic fortunes of the country may, however, not be easy, the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank said, urging Ruto to quickly address the challenges. 

“The 2022 Kenyan elections may have been a success… For Ruto, however, given sky-high popular expectations and an economy in dire straits, governing may well prove tougher than campaigning,” it said in a statement. 

Ruto’s inauguration marks the end of Kenyatta’s nearly decade in power, and one of the rare occasions his powerful family has not been at the apex of Kenyan politics.

Already one of Kenya’s wealthiest citizens, the outgoing president will receive a generous send-off under Kenya’s constitution as he leaves office having served two terms, the maximum allowed by law. 

The 60-year-old will receive a tax-free lump sum of $324,000 and more than $600,000 in allowances every year.

Kenyatta, the son of Kenya’s first president Jomo Kenyatta, will also have access to fully furnished offices, dozens of aides, VIP security and new cars of his choice, replaced every three years. 

Pope Francis, warned by doctors not to travel to Ukraine in the immediate future, will Tuesday bear a message of peace instead to a tense Central Asia with a three-day trip to Kazakhstan.

The Argentine pope, who is forced by knee pain to use a wheelchair and has admitted he must slow down or consider retirement, will take part in an inter-religious summit in the capital, Nur-Sultan.

Francis departed from Rome’s Fiumicino airport at 7:35am (05:35 GMT) on an ITA Airways plane.

The 85-year-old said Sunday that the 38th trip abroad since his election in 2013 would be “an opportunity… to (have a) dialogue as brothers, animated by the common desire for peace, peace that our world is thirsty for”.

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, was initially expected but has pulled out of the September 14-15 event, dashing hopes of a meeting with Francis over the Ukraine conflict.

While the pope has called for peace and denounced a “cruel and senseless war”, Kirill has defended Putin’s “military operation” and the fight against Russia’s “external and internal enemies”.

About 100 delegations from 50 countries are expected to take part in the event in Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic that gained independence in 1991.

“Dialogue, a coming together, the search for peace between different religious and cultural worlds are at the heart of this trip,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Monday.

The pope is expected to land Tuesday shortly before 6:00 pm (1200 GMT) in Nur-Sultan, where he will go to the presidential palace and deliver a first speech to the authorities and the diplomatic corps.

– Tensions –

Before that, he will be received by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

The 69-year-old leader is an ally of Russia, though there have been tensions between the two countries since Moscow launched the invasion in February.

Tokayev has refused to support the war and the presence of a large Russian community in the north of Kazakhstan has sparked fears of a revival of Moscow’s imperial ambitions in the area.

Kazakhstan borders other former Soviet republics, as well as China and the Caspian Sea.

On Wednesday, Francis will address the opening of the plenary session of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, before celebrating a mass in the afternoon and winding up his trip Thursday by meeting Catholic leaders.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will be in the country at the same time as Francis, but there is no meeting expected, despite the Vatican hoping to renew a historic accord appointing bishops in China.

Energy-rich Kazakhstan has 19 million inhabitants, 70 percent of whom are Sunni Muslims, while 26 percent are Christians — mainly Russian Orthodox. Less than one percent are Catholic.

Tokayev began a series of reforms after his election in 2019, but the country was rocked by protests over fuel prices earlier this year that left more than 200 people dead and shattered its image of stability.

Francis is the second pope to visit Kazakhstan after John Paul II’s trip in September 2001.

He said last week that doctors had forbidden him from travelling to Ukraine or Moscow for now, as he recovers from a knee problem that has forced him to cancel numerous events at the Vatican.

Global brands including Prada and Remy Martin have cut ties with Chinese superstar Li Yifeng, after the actor was detained for soliciting sex workers.

Li becomes the latest in a line of artists to find themselves in legal trouble recently, as the government cracks down on China’s entertainment industry, stepping up efforts to rein in what it calls “chaotic fan culture” and celebrity excess.

State media said Li, 35, had recently been detained and charged by police in Beijing for “soliciting prostitution on multiple occasions”, and had allegedly confessed.

Global and local brands including luxury fashion house Prada, watchmaker Panerai and French cognac maker Remy Martin issued statements on Sunday saying they had dropped Li as their brand ambassador following the scandal.

The actor, who played revolutionary leader Mao Zedong in a 2021 biopic to mark the centenary of the Chinese Communist Party, is hugely popular, with more than 60 million followers on China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo.

Only last month, he was on the catwalk in Beijing showcasing Prada’s fall 2022 collection.

A spate of scandals in recent months have taken down China’s biggest entertainers including singer Kris Wu, who was arrested on suspicion of rape last August.

Actress Zheng Shuang was hit with a $46 million tax evasion fine last year.

In September last year, officials ordered broadcasters to shun performers with “incorrect political positions”, and to cultivate a patriotic atmosphere.

“We solemnly call on the vast number of TV art workers to regard morality and art as their life’s homework,” the China Television Artists Association said in a statement on Monday.

“No matter what achievements you have made… if you don’t keep yourself clean… the so-called fame will disappear, and the so-called future will be ruined,” it warned.

Volunteer rescuers ran non-stop airlifts to remote areas of Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, seeking to reach victims still stranded two days after a massive 7.6-magnitude earthquake.

The quake rattled a broad area of the country’s north, killing at least seven people, but the scale of the disaster is only slowly coming into focus.

At least 389 houses collapsed in the town of Madang alone, according to United Nations assessors now on the ground. It is expected the damage toll will rise as ground staff reach other communities.

Maki Igarashi from the International Federation of the Red Cross told AFP it was “very difficult access to most of the locations” because of the affected area’s remoteness.

The earthquake’s epicentre was in “the middle of the jungle”, she said.

With government resources limited, much of the rescue effort has been carried out by small private companies and volunteers.

Pilot Jurgen Ruh, the owner of Manolos Aviation Limited, told AFP he had “lost count” of the number of medical evacuations he had carried out since the earthquake hit Sunday morning.

“It hasn’t stopped yet,” he said, as he readied to head out for two further medevac flights in the country’s remote highlands.

Of those rescued, “the youngest person was two years old”, Ruh said, adding that the girl, who had a broken skull, had survived after emergency surgery.

Ruh said his company had been fielding calls directly from people in need of evacuation, adding that in Papua New Guinea, “if you don’t help yourself, no one will help you”.

– Saw the mountain ‘disappear’-

The earthquake was the largest in the Pacific nation since 2002 but has so far claimed far fewer lives than the last major quake, which killed 145 people in 2018.

Papua New Guinean authorities have confirmed all seven fatalities were caused by landslides that occurred near the Rai Coast, Kambum and Wau, where three miners were killed after being trapped underground.

Ruh said some of his pilots were airlifting a pregnant mother when the quake struck and, as they flew her to safety, “saw the side of the mountain disappear”.

The Red Cross’ Igarashi said that internet and power outages in the wake of the earthquake had made it difficult to get a full picture of the situation on the ground.

The Ramu hydropower station, located close to the epicentre, was damaged by the quake, and internet service has slowed dramatically because of the impact on submarine cables.

Kenya’s William Ruto will on Tuesday take charge of the East African economic powerhouse after the country’s Supreme Court confirmed his narrow victory over veteran politician Raila Odinga in the August 9 poll.

Odinga accepted the ruling but categorically said he did not agree with it, portending political divisions that the country is ill-equipped to cope with as it faces a cost-of-living crisis and a brutal drought.

Here is a look at what lies ahead as the new government takes shape: 

– Can Ruto mend the political divide? –

Kenya’s traditional ethnic voting blocs may have ceded ground to class dynamics in this year’s polls, but as in the case of previous elections, the result reflected a nation sharply split down the middle. 

An effective political strategist, Ruto portrayed the election as a battle between ordinary “hustlers” and “dynasties” — a reference to Odinga and outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta, whose families have dominated politics since independence from Britain in 1963.

The 55-year-old deputy president scraped to victory by a margin of less than two percentage points and has struck a conciliatory tone since the results were announced, promising that his government will serve all Kenyans, regardless of political or ethnic affiliation.

According to the Eurasia Group political risk consultancy, “Ruto has worked to co-opt independent lawmakers and weak links in Azimio (Odinga’s coalition) to establish an operational majority sufficient to pass legislation and budgets” in parliament.

But Ruto’s relationship with Odinga and Kenyatta, former rivals who struck an unlikely alliance ahead of the poll, remains fractious. The outgoing president pointedly failed to publicly congratulate his long-standing deputy for winning the election until the very eve of his inauguration.

– How will the economy fare? –

Kenya is the most dynamic economy in East Africa but many are suffering deep hardship. Prices for basic goods are skyrocketing in the wake of Covid and the war in Ukraine, and unemployment is a major problem particularly among the young.

Inflation soared to a 65-month high of 8.5 percent in August in the face of a weakening currency, rising fuel costs and a poorly implemented subsidy to halve the price of maize flour used to prepare ugali, a dense porridge that is Kenya’s staple food.

Ruto — who capitalised on growing frustration among Kenya’s poor — has vowed to tackle the cost-of-living crisis and the country’s $70-billion debt mountain.

He said he would establish a 50-billion-shilling ($415-million) “hustlers fund” to provide loans to small enterprises to help drive growth and a fertiliser subsidy to reinvigorate farming — the backbone of the economy that contributes more than 20 percent to GDP. 

Florentina Kimoi, who hails from Ruto’s Rift Valley bastion of Eldoret, told AFP she hoped the incoming president would pay attention to “long-suffering” farmers like her. 

“This year many farmers did not plant cash crops such as maize, cassava (tapioca) and wheat because the prices of fertilisers were too high,” said 81-year-old Kimoi.

“In the old days there was a lot of food but things have changed. Nowadays people need money to buy food and earn a livelihood.”

– What about the fight against corruption? –

Ruto has promised to crack down on graft — a hot-button issue in a country where dozens of leaders are facing charges of embezzling public funds — but the promise rings hollow to many Kenyans.

Ruto himself boasts a shadowy reputation with graft claims against him going back years, and his scandal-hit running mate Rigathi Gachagua was ordered to forfeit almost $1.7 million in a court ruling following a corruption probe.

In an editorial last week, The Standard newspaper pleaded for Ruto to pick “men and women of integrity” to serve in his administration.

Transparency International ranked Kenya 128th out of 180 in its 2021 corruption perception index, saying the fight against graft had “stagnated”.

– How will Ruto treat Kenya’s neighbours? –

Ruto’s predecessor Kenyatta devoted a large chunk of his second term to playing peacemaker in East Africa, easing tensions with Somalia, intervening in the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and hosting talks between Sudan and Ethiopia.

Kenya’s allies are anxiously wondering what is next for a country that has evolved into a trusted ally and democratic anchor in a troubled region.

Analysts say the most pressing regional issue will be the fighting in Ethiopia between government forces and rebels that resumed last month, shattering a March truce.

Kenyatta had been touted as a possible mediator and offered Nairobi as a venue for peace talks, which the warring sides have both now agreed should be led by the African Union.

Mourners in Edinburgh, some in tears, filed past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II through the night, before new king Charles III travels to Northern Ireland Tuesday and the monarch’s coffin returns to London.

As people paid their respects, four members of the monarch’s Scottish bodyguard, the Royal Company of Archers, stood heads bowed at each corner of the oak casket resting in the 12th century St Giles’ Cathedral.

The king then joined his siblings in a vigil, with the coffin draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland and topped with a wreath including heather from Balmoral, and the ancient Crown of Scotland.

Charles, 73, Anne, the Princess Royal, 72, Andrew, the Duke of York, 62, and Edward, the Duke of Wessex, 58, stood eyes closed for about 10 minutes around the casket.

Anne will on Tuesday accompany Elizabeth’s body on the next leg of its journey south from Edinburgh to an airfield near London by Royal Air Force jet.

Crowds of mourners are expected to line the route into the city as the coffin is driven to Buckingham Palace for more than four days’ lying in state ahead of her funeral next Monday.

The king, meanwhile, will make his first trip to Northern Ireland since his accession, followed by Wales on Friday.

In a show of national togetherness as he embarks on his kingship — a role for which he has spent a lifetime preparing — Charles has pledged to visit all four nations of the United Kingdom.

– ‘End of an era’ –

Earlier Monday, Charles, flanked by his three siblings, led a procession on foot carrying the queen’s body through hushed Edinburgh streets packed with mourners.

The queen’s coffin had on Sunday been driven to the Scottish capital from the Balmoral estate where she died, and held overnight at the royal residence of the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Accompanied by kilted soldiers, the late queen was taken from the royal residence to St Giles’ for a prayer service.

Thousands of people lined the route along the Royal Mile to watch the procession make its way to the ancient place of worship as cannon fired at one-minute intervals from Edinburgh Castle.

The royals were joined by Prime Minister Liz Truss and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the service for the monarch who reigned a record-breaking 70 years.

Members of the public who queued for hours spoke of their deep emotions after they finally got to file by the coffin. 

“It’s a real sense of connection to history, and bear in mind that we’re one of the few countries left with this sense of pageantry and connection to the past,” said Rob Parsons, 28, after emerging from the cathedral.

“Seeing her obviously is a way of accepting the fact that it’s the end of an era.”

– Show of family unity –

Prince Andrew was not wearing his military uniform, unlike his siblings, after stepping back from public life following a scandal over his links to US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

But his presence represented a united front, as did the joint appearance at the weekend by Charles’ warring sons William and Harry who surveyed flowers and cards left outside Windsor Castle.

Harry, the youngest, who renounced royal duties in 2020 and moved to the United States, had earlier paid tribute to his grandmother, calling her his “guiding compass”.

“You are already sorely missed,” the 37-year-old said in his first statement since her death on Thursday, adding that he and his American wife Meghan “now honour my father in his new role”.

– ‘Heartbreaking’ –

Ahead of the king’s visit to Northern Ireland, people there expressed sadness at the queen’s death at the age of 96 last Thursday, saying they felt the loss as if they had known her personally.

“We’ve been followers of the royal family my whole life. And I think it’s just very heartbreaking that we’ve lost the queen –- it feels like a member of my family,” said Christine Flynn, 37, paying her respects at Belfast’s Platinum Jubilee mural which has become a focus for mourners in the city.

“We just wanted to come down and show our love for her. She’s all we’ve ever known, all the country’s ever known. We feel like we all know her personally,” added Joanne Booth, 36, visiting Hillsborough Castle with her husband and 16-month-old daughter.

While large crowds are expected to welcome Charles in Northern Ireland Tuesday, the visit to the deeply divided region scarred by sectarian violence could prove testing.

Charles will meet Belfast’s feuding political leaders — split between fiercely loyal unionists and nationalists who want to reunify with Ireland — before attending an Anglican religious service in the city.

The president, prime minister and foreign minister of Ireland are also set to attend.

– 750,000 mourners expected –

Huge queues are expected to form to see the queen’s coffin in London over coming days.

The casket is due to be taken atop a gun carriage from Buckingham Palace to parliament’s 900-year-old Westminster Hall on Wednesday.

Around 750,000 people are expected, while the first mourners arrived for the queue on Monday — more than 48 hours before the line opens.

The queue is expected to snake for several miles (kilometres) along the banks of the River Thames.

“It’s going to be emotional and I don’t know how I’ll feel going in there as the first one,” said Vanessa Nanthakumaran, a 56-year-old administration assistant originally from Sri Lanka.

“It’s going to be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be part of this unique event,” she told AFP.

Britain has been plunged into grief by the death of Elizabeth II, who has been a fixture of the nation’s life and consciousness for seven decades. 

Charles has seen his popularity recover since the death of his former wife Diana in a 1997 car crash. But he has been embroiled in several scandals in recent years.

He takes the throne at a moment of deep anxiety in Britain over the spiralling cost of living and international instability caused by the war in Ukraine.

With republican movements gaining ground from Australia to the Bahamas, the new king also faces a challenge keeping the Commonwealth realms in the royal fold.

Incoming Kenyan president William Ruto has clawed his way to the top as the nation’s “hustler-in-chief”, playing on his religious faith and humble beginnings selling chickens by the roadside.

Although one of the richest men in the country and dogged by corruption allegations for years, the fiercely ambitious Ruto portrayed himself as the champion of the poor and downtrodden during the August 9 election campaign.

He won a narrow victory over the veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga, despite running as the effective challenger after acrimoniously falling out with outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta who backed his rival in the closely-fought race.

“In becoming Kenya’s fifth president, William Ruto symbolises determination to overcome the odds,” Kenyan historian Macharia Munene said in an opinion piece for The Standard newspaper on the eve of his swearing in.

Ruto, who served as deputy president under Kenyatta for almost a decade, has pledged to reach out to his rivals in the deeply divided country, and tackle its deep economic woes and endemic corruption.

“There is no room for vengeance,” the shadowy rags-to-riches businessman said after being declared president-elect in his first bid for the job.

He had described the election as a battle between ordinary “hustlers” struggling to put food on the table and the elite Kenyatta and Odinga “dynasties” that had dominated Kenyan politics for decades.

“We want everyone to feel the wealth of this country. Not just a few at the top,” Ruto had said as he criss-crossed the country promoting his “bottom-up” economic plan.

– Effective strategist –

The outgoing president did not publicly congratulate Ruto until the eve of his inauguration, which takes place Tuesday, after the 55-year-old had backed his boss in the previous two elections with a promise he would have Kenyatta’s backing this time around.

Their now fractured alliance was a marriage of convenience forged in the aftermath of deadly post-poll violence in 2007-2008 that largely pitted the Kikuyu — Kenyatta’s tribe — against the Kalenjin, Ruto’s ethnic group.

Both men were indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), accused of stoking the ethnic unrest that left more than 1,100 people dead.

The cases were eventually dropped, with the prosecution complaining of a relentless campaign of witness intimidation.

But Ruto was left out in the cold after Kenyatta shook hands with longtime foe Odinga in a dramatic switch of political allegiance in 2018.

He bounced back with a campaign that was directed as much at Kenyatta as his rival at the ballot box, blaming the government for Kenya’s economic woes and even accusing the president of threatening him and his family.

Clad in the bright yellow of his United Democratic Alliance, whose symbol is the humble wheelbarrow, Ruto sought to reach out to those suffering most from the Covid-induced cost-of-living crisis that has been aggravated by the war in Ukraine.

“He succeeded in penetrating and vanquishing the collegiate club partly because the dynasties disdainfully underestimated him,” wrote Munene.

– ‘God has been kind to me’ –

Observers attribute Ruto’s aggressiveness to the fact he has had to struggle to get everything he has achieved in life from his lowly start in Kenya’s Rift Valley, the Kalenjin heartland.

“I sold chicken at a railway crossing near my home as a child… I paid (school) fees for my siblings,” he once said. 

“God has been kind to me and through hard work and determination, I have something.”

His fortune is now said to run into many millions of dollars, with interests spanning hotels, real estate and insurance as well as a vast chicken farm. 

A teetotal father of six who describes himself as a born-again Christian, Ruto seldom lets a speech go by without thanking or praising God or reciting from the Bible.

He first got a foot on the political ladder — and detractors claim, access to funds — in 1992. 

After completing studies in botany, he headed the YK’92 youth movement tasked with drumming up support for the autocratic then-president Daniel arap Moi, also a Kalenjin.

In 1997, when he tried to launch his parliamentary career by contesting a seat on his home turf of Eldoret North, Moi told him he was a disrespectful son of a pauper.

Undeterred, Ruto went on to clinch the seat, which he retained in subsequent elections.

His detractors say he siphoned money from the YK’92 project and used it to go into business, and allegations of corruption and land grabs still hang over him.

But he has long dismissed such claims, once telling local media: “I can account for every coin that I have.”