We recognize Dr. William Ruto as our president-elect, though his win in the August 2022 elections has been disputed by his main opponent Raila Odinga.
As Raila is expected to file a petition at the Supreme Court today, Ruto continues to prepare to take over the presidential office once he is sworn in after everything is settled.
If he is sworn in, it will not be the first time he served as the president of Kenya. October 6, 2014, will remain memorable in Kenya’s history as it was the day President Uhuru Kenyatta made Ruto, his then deputy, the acting president.
Uhuru had to present himself at an ICC court session to answer the accusations of inciting the 2007/2008 post-election violence. He signed a legal notice appointing Ruto as acting president to protect the sovereignty of the country.
Well, Ruto acted as president for three days while Uhuru was away.
Mkenya Leo takes you down the memory lane of what it was for Ruto to be president for the three days, highlighting what he did and how his status changed.
Ruto’s Security Was Improved to Fit the Presidential Standard
Uhuru handed Ruto power in a public address in Parliament. Immediately after the address, Ruto’s security detail was enhanced. An Aide-de-Campe and an escort commander were assigned to Ruto. He left the Parliament building in a presidential limousine accompanied by the presidential escort.
A Change of Office Location
Ruto’s office was moved from the Harambee Annex (where the office of the deputy president is) to Harambee House (where the office of the president is).
Addressing Nurses’ Strike
Among the key issues affecting the country when Uhuru handed power to Ruto was the nurses’ strike that had stalled the provision of healthcare services.
As an acting president, Ruto chaired a meeting with the council of Governors (CoG), then led by Turkana governor Josphat Nanok, and the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN). The meeting yielded a positive outcome as Ruto managed to strike an agreement between the CoG and KNUN, ending the five-month nurses’ strike.
Attending Briefs and Meeting Officials
Among the official roles Ruto focused on were attending briefs. On his first day as president, Ruto attended intelligence briefs from the National Intelligence Service, as was a norm for President Uhuru.
He also met officials from international organizations like the United Nations for Project Services and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organizations to plan important events which Kenya was to host.
