Uhuru, Ruto Meet Kibaki, Diplomats

President Mwai Kibaki with the President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President-elect William Ruto at StateHouse, Nairobi, where they paid him a courtesy visit. PHOTO BY PPS

BY WANJOHI GITHAE AND PPS
WEDNESDAY, 13 MARCH, 2013

President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto on Tuesday met President Mwai Kibaki at State House, Nairobi, for the first time since their election last Saturday.

The two also continued with other engagements preceding the proposed March 26 swearing in. Uhuru and Ruto surged on with a hectic familiarisation and courtesy itinerary, as rival Cord candidate, outgoing Prime Minister Raila Odinga held a meet-the-people tour of Kibera where he complained the Presidentelect and the deputy were carrying on even before they are sworn in.

Raila’s lawyers had earlier moved to the High Court to seek to compel the electoral commission and Safaricom to furnish them with material with which to build up a case for rejection of the presidential election result. Uhuru and Ruto had on Monday received a briefing by top security chiefs, while the committee handling the transition has finalised details for an elaborate ceremony.

On Tuesday, Uhuru and Ruto called on Kibaki only hours after they met several African, Asian and South American envoys who congratulated them on their election and hailed the Kenyans electoral exercise as credible and professionally conducted.

They also had a session with religious leaders, a forum where they called for reconciliation among Kenyans. President Kibaki congratulated the two leaders on their election, announced by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) last Saturday.

The President wished them success in the noble duty of serving the Kenyan nation and advised them to guide the people on the path to national cohesion, unity and shared prosperity. Kibaki also commended Kenyans and all the candidates who sought elective posts in the General Election for maintaining peace.

Kenyatta and Ruto commended President Kibaki for leading the country on a transformative path during his 10-year tenure and facilitating a transparent, secure and peaceful transition.

Uhuru later wrote on his Twitter page: “Today, we met with His Excellency Mwai Kibaki when we paid him a courtesy call in State House today. We thanked him for the development achieved in his 10 year leadership as Head of State.

Deputy President-Elect William Samoei Ruto and I ran on the platform of Transformative Leadership and we will ensure a better and more prosperous Kenya at the end of our term.” Uhuru earlier received a goodwill and congratulatory message from South African President Jacob Zuma delivered by High Commissioner to Kenya Ambassador Rutubasi Super Moloi.

Zuma noted that by conducting peaceful, credible and successful elections, Kenya had raised the democratic bar for Africa and done the continent proud. The Pakistani High Commissioner to Kenya Ambassador Rafiuzaman Sidiqui hailed the excellent bilateral relations between Kenya and Pakistan, as he indicated his government would work closely with Uhuru.

On his part the Cuban ambassador to Kenya Raul Ramos, congratulated Uhuru on his election as President. Others who paid President -elect a courtesy call included the Egyptian ambassador to Kenya Kadri Fathi Abdel Mottaleb who delivered a congratulatory message from President Mohamed Morsi of Egypt and Saudi Arabian ambassador Ghurum Bin Said Ghurum who delivered a message from King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz.

Uhuru and Ruto met President Kibaki ahead of their meeting with leaders from the Jubilee coalition to be held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) next week. Their Cord counterparts had also called a similar meeting at the same venue.

Meanwhile speaking when he met religious leaders at the KICC, Uhuru said the elections were now over and called on Kenyans to focus on nation building, adding that in his government there would be no losers or winners.

Saying that religious leaders were the custodians of national conscience, the President- elect commended them for playing the noble role of calling upon the political leadership to maintain high standards of probity and integrity and to keep to the straight path , however, narrow it may be.

“I congratulate the religious leadership in our country for the manner in which it has continued to engage the political leadership in all matters of national interest. My government will nurture this tradition,” he said .

He further assured that his government would listen to the voice of religious leaders and respond positively to constructive criticism. Uhuru at the same time urged the clergy not to align themselves to any side of the political divide or that which would emerge from time to time, but rather to hold every leader accountable for a moral and developmental agenda. On their part, the clergy who included all mainstream faiths called upon Kenyans to focus on building the nation now that the elections are over.

The leaders further appealed to wananchi to embrace reconciliation, saying the general election was not aimed at dividing Kenyans, but bringing out good leaders who would serve the country well. Also present during the meeting was immediate former Mvita Member of Parliament, Najib Balala.

The religious leaders included the ACK Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, NCCK Secretary General Peter Karanja, AIC presiding Bishop Silas Yego, Secretary of the Episcopal Conference of Kenya Father Vincent Wambugu, SUPKEM head of religious studies Sheikh Mohamed Chebwana Mohamed and Chairman of Inter-religious Council of Kenya who is also the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslim Secretary General Adan Wachu.

IEBC chairman Isaak Hassan on Saturday declared Jubilee coalition candidate Uhuru Kenyatta the winner of the presidential election. Cord’s Raila Odinga, who comesecond, rejected the results and has moved to challenge them in court.