The newly elected president of Kenya William Ruto claims to have discussed the transition with outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta over the phone.
They discussed the just finished election and the transition to democracy, according to Ruto.
“I had a telephone conversation with my boss, President Uhuru Kenyatta. We discussed the just concluded General Election and the transition as envisaged by our democratic tradition and practice.”
Since Ruto’s victory in the general election on August 9th, Kenyatta, who supported Ruto’s opponent Raila Odinga for the President, has not spoken to Ruto.
After the Supreme Court declared him the winner on Monday, the president-elect gave a press conference and claimed that they hadn’t communicated in “months.”
The same day, Mr. Ruto was neither mentioned or given any congratulations for winning in President Kenyatta’s statement assuring a seamless handover.
Online, some Kenyans have criticized Mr. Kenyatta for handling the situation in a “petty” manner.
In his seven-minute State House address, Uhuru Kenyatta neglected to name William Ruto, according to a Twitter user. He is being childishly and petty.
“Stop being petty and jealous Mr President. Be a gentleman, congratulate [Mr Ruto] and move on,” another user said. Ruto will be sworn in as president next Tuesday.
