Military officers braved the chilly and drizzling Wednesday morning weather conducting parades and match pasts at the Kasarani stadium in preparation for the Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony.
President-elect William Ruto, whose election was upheld by the Supreme Court on September 5, will be sworn into office on September 13.
The rehearsals by officers drawn from the Kenya Army, Navy and Air force were directed by senior officers in the military and included hand over drills.
The old ceremonial land rover reserved for the Commander In Chief was also used during the dry runs at the venue.
In a complete mockup of what the performance would look like, select officers who acted the Commander in Chief, his Aide-de-camp and Chief of Defence Forces rode on the ceremonial car and were driven around the stadium as they practised.
Those privy to the arrangements confided in us that Ruto will be taken through the procedural rites by the military team ahead of the swearing in ceremony.
The officers were clad in full ceremonial uniform.
Another team of senior KDF officers were reportedly at Karen and State House conducting other similar drills.
A team from the Judiciary, State House, military and the President-elect’s office led by Alfred Mutua were also at the venue overseeing the preparations.
Monday’s event will purely be conducted by the military and the Judiciary which is set to perform the swearing-in and handing over ceremonies.
“We want to ensure the standards that are being set up are of international quality, we want the event to be flawless and send the right message to Kenyans that we are ready to work,” said Mutua in his address to the press.
Mutua said they have prevailed upon the management of the stadium to ensure the facilities for use are in good condition.
“Everyone who is coming here is a VIP and so the toilets, the seats should be decent, we do not want things that look like there is no money that has been spent, people must come here and feel this is a country and things are done well,” he said.
He said, “We are happy with what we have seen here and we have made a few changes to ensure there is a proper flow of traffic and VIPs on that day.”
-Edited by SKanyara
