Kenyatta sworn in as Kenyan president

Kenya new president Uhuru Kenyatta was inaugurated at a swearing-in ceremony at Nairobi's Moi International Sports Centre on the morning of Tuesday 9 April.

Leaders from across Africa, as well as diplomats from Europe and Washington, attended the two-hour ceremony at the stadium in Kasarani in east Nairobi. The diplomats were joined by tens of thousands of jubilant Kenyatta supporters who were entertained by live music from rappers and gospel singers, as well as a military guard of honour.

Prayers were offered by the country’s religious leaders as outgoing president Mwai Kibaki officially stood down, and Kenyatta and his deputy president William Ruto took the oath of office. Kibaki has served two terms and under Kenyan legislation is not permitted to stand a third time.

Popularly known by his first name, Uhuru is the son of Kenya's first president and "founding father" Jomo Kenyatta, and is the heir to one of the country’s biggest fortunes.

Following the 4 March election he received 50.07 per cent of the vote, narrowly avoiding a run-off against fellow presidential candidate Raila Odinga, the outgoing Kenyan prime minister. Odinga challenged the result in the nation's supreme court which upheld Kenyatta's victory.

Controversially, Kenyatta and Ruto are awaiting trial in July at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on charges of fomenting the violence that followed the 2007 presidential election which left more than 1,000 dead and hundreds of thousands homeless. At the time, the two men were on opposing sides. Both Kenyatta and Ruto deny the charges against them.

In the 2007 election Odinga lost out in a disputed vote to Kenya’s now retired president Kibaki. Odinga, who has lost three presidential bids in a row, did not attend Kenyatta’s swearing-in ceremony.

The 51-year-old Kenyatta has become Kenya's fourth and youngest president, and is the the first president to be elected under the country's new constitution that was voted in by referendum in 2010.