Kibaki sworn in as new president

Kenya's new president, Emilio Mwai Kibaki, was sworn into office on Monday following his historic electoral victory, and immediately pledged to go to work to revive the country's ailing economy and fight corruption. Kibaki, the successor of Daniel arap Moi, Kenya's longest-serving president, who has ruled the country since 1978, was sworn in during a colourful ceremony following the 27 December election in which he defeated Uhuru Kenyatta, the candidate of the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU), with a landslide majority. Kibaki's National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) also won an outstanding 123 of the 210 seats in parliament, while KANU took 56, and the little-known Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People took 13 seats. The parliamentary results have, however, not yet been finalised as vote counting has not been completed in some constituencies. Thousands of Kenyans thronged Uhuru Park in the capital, Nairobi, where the ceremony took place, to witness the event in which Kibaki was installed as Kenya's third president since independence in 1963. The multitude of people had begun arriving at the park as early as 06:00 local time to witness the inauguration in which, for the first time in the country's history, an incumbent handed over power to a democratically elected president. The ceremony was witnessed by several African heads of state, comprising Levy Mwanawasa of Zambia, Uganda's Yoweri Museveni and Tanzania's Benjamin Mkapa, as well as South Africa's first lady, Zanele Mbeki, all of whom hailed the peaceful transition. "Kenyans have shamed those who predicted doom, and reaffirmed the dignity of all Africans," Mkapa said during the swearing-in ceremony. In his farewell message, Moi said Kenyans had, by virtue of the peaceful transition, demonstrated to the world that Africa could chart its own destiny without interference. "We have accomplished much, we have done much together. But we have a lot more to do. The next five years must reverse the current trend," Moi said. Kibaki's rival, Kenyatta, conceded defeat early on Sunday and described the elections as "peaceful and competitive". "I accept your choice, and in particular now concede that Mr Mwai Kibaki will be the third president of the republic of Kenya. KANU and I will respect him and his position in accordance with the constitution," Kenyatta told an international press conference on Sunday afternoon. "The country has once again demonstrated its stability and maturity, so let us now ensure it attains its rightful place in the world order," he added. The historic transition was also hailed by local and international election observers, who described the poll as the most peaceful and fairest so far held in the country. According to the US-based Carter Center, one of the election observation missions to Kenya, election violence on voting day was minimal, and the process of counting ballots and tabulating results was transparent. "The Carter Centre commends Kenyans for the peaceful conduct of the elections and the determination shown by election staff and voters alike on what was a very long election day," Kenneth Kaunda, former Zambian president, who headed the Carter Center's delegation, told journalists in Nairobi. "Despite the fears of election day violence, security officials maintained a low profile and, in some cases, appeared to be too few in number to deal with the large crowds that gathered in the vicinity of some polling stations. In the end, there were few reported security problems on election day," Kaunda said. During his inaugural speech, Kibaki, a former vice-president and economics lecturer at Uganda's Makerere University, said he would ensure that all communities were represented equally in his government, adding that he would "not let Kenyans down". He said his government would primarily focus on reviving the ailing economy and combating corruption. "We are all going to be united to fulfil these objectives. Corruption will now cease to be a way of life in Kenya. I am calling upon all of you Kenyans to help the government fight corruption, as out first priority," Kibaki said. "This is a critical moment in the history of our country. The task ahead is enormous, challenges ahead are intimidating. I shall provide a responsive, transparent and innovative leadership. I am willing to put everything I have into the job," he added. The new president said his government would only appoint qualified people to public offices, and appealed to the international community for support. He also pledged to restore the authority of parliament and independence of judiciary, both of which had been eroded, as part of the country's democratic process. "We want to bring back the culture of accountability and transparency in public office. The era of anything goes is gone," Kibaki said. "I believe that government exists to serve the people, not the people who serve the government." Kibaki also pledged to promote peace within the African region and to continue with efforts to integrate the continent. He repeated his earlier pledge to provide universal primary education, improve health services, social sector infrastructure, and to revive crumbling institutions. Kibaki's team however, faces tough tasks ahead of mending an economy broken by years of neglect, and the challenge of meeting high expectations by Kenyans to create new jobs, include women in decision making, and improve infrastructure and social services, according to analysts. A number of women's organisations have already hailed the new government and urged it to implement its commitment to improve women's participation in decision making. "Women in Kenya have particularly been encouraged by Narc's commitment to affirmative action and minimum of one-third rule in its appointments to the cabinet and the public and diplomatic services. This is in line with the spirit of affirmative action and is consistent with the draft constitution," a group of women leaders said in a statement.