Kenya: Uhuru Kenyatta sworn in as president for his 2nd and final term

AP | Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta was sworn in for a second term Tuesday in what some hoped would be the end of months of election turmoil, which Kenyatta said stretched the country “almost to the breaking point.”

Kenyatta, speaking to a cheering crowd at a local stadium, said the past few months “have been a trying time,” and he called for an end to hate and divisiveness. He again criticized the Supreme Court’s nullification of his August election win, saying that “despite being told that the processes matter more than your vote, we complied.”

But he added that the court acted with independence, and he said the recent events show that “our constitution is no piece of paper.” Institutions should not be destroyed whenever they don’t deliver the desired results, he added.

Kenya’s election drama has meant months of uncertainty in East Africa’s economic hub. The court in nullifying the August result cited irregularities after a legal challenge by opposition leader Raila Odinga, and it ordered a new vote.

It was the first time in Africa that a court had nullified a presidential election, and Kenya’s events have been closely watched cross the continent by opposition parties and leaders alike.

Kenyatta said his inauguration “marks the end, and I repeat the end, of our electoral process.” He praised the resilience of Kenyans during what he said were the 123 days since the turmoil began.

Several regional heads of state attended the inauguration as the country attempted to move forward, even as questions about electoral reforms lingered.

In a move to improve continental ties, Kenyatta announced that all Africans will be able to obtain a visa on arrival at a port of entry. A growing number of African nations are making moves toward easing travel restrictions for people across the continent.

Kenyatta was sworn in using a Bible that had been used to swear in his father, founding President Jomo Kenyatta, at independence in 1963.