Inauguration fuels Kenyan hope after nation hits ‘breaking point’
● Demonstrator killed by police fire ● President called ‘dictator’ by rival
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has been sworn in for a second term in what some hoped would be the end of months of election turmoil.
Mr Kenyatta said the strife had stretched the country “almost to the breaking point” as violence continued yesterday. At least one person was killed as police fired rifles and tear gas to break up a large opposition gathering.
Police elsewhere in the capital Nairobi tried to stop the opposition from holding peaceful demonstrations during and after yesterday’s inauguration.
The demonstrations were to mourn dozens killed by police and militia since the original election in August.
A witness said one person was shot dead.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga was shoved into his vehicle amid clouds of tear gas shortly after he called Mr Kenyatta’s presidency illegitimate.
Associated Press video showed the crowd fleeing amid the sound of gunfire.
Helmeted security forces were then seen striking unarmed people with batons. Other people dipped water from slum puddles to clean their eyes.
Mr 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 criticised 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”.
Mr Kenyatta added that the court, whose justices he once called “crooks” for their ruling, acted with independence. He said the recent events showed that “our constitution is no piece of paper”.
Institutions should not be destroyed whenever they don’t deliver the desired results, Mr Kenyatta 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. Kenya’s events have been closely watched across the continent by opposition parties and leaders alike.
Mr Odinga and his support tor ers boycotted the repeat election last month, saying electoral reforms had not been made.
Many opposition supporters were yesterday heeding Mr Odinga’s call to gather and remember those killed in the months of turmoil.
Human rights groups have repeatedly accused police of being used by Kenyatta’s government to crush dissent.
Mr Odinga has called Mr Kenyatta’s inauguration a “coronation” instead and labelled the president a dicta- as he vowed to pursue fresh elections.
Mr 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 123 days since the turmoil started.
Several regional heads of state attended the inauguration amid tight security as the country attempted to move forward, even as questions about electoral reforms lingered.
In a move to improve continental ties, Mr Kenyatta announced that all Africans would 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.
Mr Kenyatta was sworn in using a Bible that had been used to swear in his father, founding president Jomo Kenyatta, at independence in 1963.
The inauguration comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Kenya seeking closer diplomatic ties with the African continent.