Tuesday's inauguration in the capital, Nairobi, was witnessed by several world leaders.

Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto were yesterday, April 9, 2013 sworn in as Kenya's next President and Deputy President by Chief Justice Dr. Willy Mutunga, BBC reported. This followed Kenyatta’s victory last month against Raila Odinga. The election was Kenya's first after the disputed 2007 poll that led to widespread violence.

Kenyatta took the oath on a Bible used by his father and Kenya's first President, Jomo Kenyatta, Al Jazeera TV said. The inauguration of Kenya’s fourth and youngest President, held at Kasarani Stadium in the capital, Nairobi that was filled with tens of thousands of Kenyans and a dozen African leaders. Yesterday’s event was a stark contrast to the rushed 2007 ceremony that was closed to the public to swear in outgoing President, Mwai Kibaki, The Washington Post said. Political opponents had accused Kibaki of stealing the 2007 vote, setting off weeks of tribal violence.

Raila Odinga did not attend yesterday’s ceremony after his attempt to overturn Kenyatta's victory in court failed. Among African leaders present were South Africa's Jacob Zuma, Nigeria's Goodluck Jonathan and Uganda's Yoweri Museveni. US and European diplomats attended the inauguration despite warning before the election that they would have limited contact with Kenyatta if he was elected.

Uhuru Kenyatta, 51, is heir to one of the largest fortunes in Kenya. He served as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Trade, and Finance Minister under outgoing President Mwai Kibaki. He becomes the second sitting African President – after Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir - to face charges at the International Criminal Court at The Hague in The Netherlands over allegations that he helped to orchestrate the vicious tribe-on-tribe violence that marred the 2007 presidential election. His deputy, William Ruto, is also indicted on similar charges by the ICC.

Many Kenyans hope that the son of the nation's independence hero will live up to his pledge to be a leader for all and not just work for people from his own ethnic group, a practice they have come to expect from their politicians, Al Jazeera TV noted. For Western nations that are big donors to east Africa's biggest economy, Kenya is a vital player in the regional battle against Islamic militants in neighbouring Somalia.