Ruto to be sworn in as Kenya's president after divisive poll
William Ruto will be sworn in as Kenya's president 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, analysts say.
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, 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.
