Kenya's president-elect, outgoing leader speak after months in boost for smooth transition

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - After a months-long rift, Kenya’s President-elect William Ruto finally spoke to outgoing leader – and his current boss – Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday.

The phone call marks a major step forward in efforts to end the deadlock that emerged after Ruto won the Aug. 9 presidential election, a victory challenged by his Kenyatta-backed opponent Raila Odinga.

Kenyatta’s decision to support opposition candidate Odinga over Ruto, who has been his deputy president for nearly a decade, led to a complete breakdown in communication between the country’s top two leaders.

Taking to Twitter, Ruto announced that he had spoken to his estranged boss about the country’s turbulent succession.

“We discussed the just concluded General Election and the transition as envisaged by our democratic tradition and practice,” he said.

The phone call came just days after Kenya’s top court upheld Ruto’s election victory, dismissing nine petitions seeking to nullify the result.

Kenyatta visited Odinga and his family in Nairobi on Tuesday, the same day he made his first address to the nation since the polls, vowing to respect the Supreme Court verdict and ensuring a smooth transition of power.

Ruto, 55, and Rigathi Gachagua, his pick for deputy president, will be sworn in on Sept. 13.

Ruto has previously pledged that his government will “respect President Uhuru Kenyatta in his retirement.”

“We will give him the dignity as the former head of state deserves. He will have his place in the history of Kenya,” he said at a news conference this week.​​​​​​​