President of Kenya

Head of state and government of Kenya

President of the Republic of Kenya

Rais wa Jamhuri ya Kenya

Incumbent
William Ruto
since 13 September 2022

Government of Kenya
Style|

* Mr President
* (informal)
* His Excellency
* (formal, diplomatic)

Type|

* Head of state
* Head of government
* Executive president

Residence| State House
Seat| Nairobi
Appointer| Direct popular vote or via succession from deputy presidency
Term length| Five years, renewable once
Constituting instrument| Constitution of Kenya
Precursor| Governor-General of Kenya
Queen of Kenya
Inaugural holder| Jomo Kenyatta
Formation| 12 December 1964; 59 years ago (1964-12-12)
Deputy| Deputy President of Kenya
Salary| KSh. 886,250 (basic)
KSh. 1,443,750 (gross)
monthly[1]
Website| www.president.go.ke

Politics of Kenya

National Government

* Constitution
* History
* Human rights
* LGBT rights

Executive

* President (list)

William Ruto
* Deputy President

Rigathi Gachagua
* Cabinet
* Prime Cabinet Secretary

Musalia Mudavadi
* Attorney General

Justin Muturi
* Director of Public Prosecutions

Renson M. Ingonga

Legislature

* National Assembly

Speaker: Moses Wetangula
List of members
Constituencies
* Senate

Speaker: Amason Kingi
List of members

Judiciary

* Chief Justice

Martha Koome
* Deputy Chief Justice

Philomena Mwilu
* Supreme Court
* Court of Appeal
* High Court
* Subordinate courts

Magistrates Courts
Kadhi Courts
Courts Martial
Tribunals
* Judicial Service Commission

Administrative divisions

* Counties
* Sub-Counties
* Constituencies

* Commissions
* Offices

* Electoral and Boundaries
* Ethics and Anti-Corruption

* National Human Rights and Equality
* National Commission on Human Rights
* Administrative Justice

* National Land Commission
* Revenue Allocation
* Salaries and Remuneration

* Service Commissions
Judicial
* National Police

Parliamentary
* Public
* Teachers

* Offices
Auditor-General
* Controller of Budget

Recent elections

*     * General: 2013
* 2017
* 2022

*     * Presidential: 2017 (Oct) 2022

*     * Local: 2007
* 2013
* 2017

Political parties

* The National Alliance
* United Republican Party
* Orange Democratic Movement
* Wiper Democratic Movement
* Party of National Unity
* Kenya African National Union
* Kenya National Congress

Foreign relations

* Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Minister: Monica Juma

* * *

* Diplomatic missions of / in Kenya

* * *

* Passport
* Visa requirements
* Visa policy

Economic schemes

* Vision 2030
* Kenya Economic Stimulus Program

Kenya portal

* Other countries

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The president of the Republic of Kenya (Swahili: Rais wa Jamhuri ya Kenya) is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Kenya. The president is also the head of the executive branch of the Government of Kenya and is the commander-in-chief of the Kenya Defence Forces. The country's current president is William Ruto since 13 September 2022.

## History[edit]

Kenya's pre-independence constitution was based on the standard "Lancaster House template" used for the former British colonies in Africa, subject to early amendments. It was replaced in 1969.

Under the Independence Constitution, the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, was the country's head of state, represented locally by a governor-general of Kenya, who was the head of government. In 1964, the year after the country gained independence from Britain, the 1963 Constitution was amended to make the country a republic, with the president now serving as both head of state and head of government.

Kenya has had a total of five presidents since independence, in successive order: Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki, Uhuru Kenyatta, and the incumbent, William Ruto, who was inaugurated on 13 September 2022. Moi remains the country's longest serving president, having served for a total of 24 years.

## Qualifications and election to office[edit]

According to the current Constitution, if a person wishes to be elected as president, the following qualifications must be met:

1. Should be a Kenyan citizen by birth;
2. Should be qualified for election as a Member of Parliament;
3. Should have been nominated by a political party to stand as its candidate for the presidency, or they may stand as an independent candidate; and
4. The person should have been nominated by more than two thousand voters from each of a majority of the country's 47 counties.[2]

A candidate will be disqualified to run for presidency if they have allegiance to a foreign state or is working for the government in any capacity as a public officer. Being a public officer is not applicable to the incumbent president if running for a second term.

The president is elected by popular vote in the general election held in the month of August every five years. For a presidential candidate to be declared the winner, they must have:

1. More than half of the total votes cast in the election; and
2. At least 25% of the votes cast in each of more than half of the 47 counties in the country.[3]

The official residence of the president of Kenya is State House, Nairobi.

The wife of the president is referred to as the first lady of Kenya.

## Term of office[edit]

A president is eligible for two consecutive terms of five years each, starting from the date the president is sworn in.[4]

## Roles and responsibilities[edit]

The following is a summary of the roles of the president of Kenya as provided in the Constitution of Kenya:

* Is the country's head of state and government.
* Exercises the country's executive authority.
* Is the commander-in-chief of the country's military, the Kenya Defence Forces.
* Is the chairperson of the country's National Security Council.
* Is a symbol of national unity.

The responsibilities of the president are summarised as follows:

* Is responsible for addressing each newly elected Parliament and report once to special parliamentary seating concerning issues of national value and governance.
* Holds nominating and appointing authority, with Parliament's approval, over the country's cabinet secretaries, attorney-general, principal secretaries, diplomatic and consular representatives and any other public officer over whom the Constitution grants said authority.
* Is the chairperson of Cabinet meetings and oversees the running of operations in various ministries and government departments.[5]
* The president may also undertake any other executive functions as permitted by the Constitution.
* The president also exercises the power of mercy, whereupon the president may pardon a person convicted of an offence.

Additionally, a person serving as president has legal immunity, with the exception of crimes under treaties to which Kenya is party with provisions that prohibit such immunity.

## List of presidents[edit]

Main article: List of heads of state of Kenya

Jomo Kenyatta - 12 December 1964 - 22 August 1978 Daniel Toroitich arap Moi - 14 October 1978 - 30 December 2002 Emilio Mwai Kibaki - 30 December 2002 - 9 April 2013 Uhuru Kenyatta - 9 April 2013 - 13 September 2022 William Samoei Ruto - 13 September 2022 - Present

## Presidential standards[edit]

As with most other countries, the president of Kenya has a presidential standard to signify their status as the country's head of state and government. Its design is generally based on the country's national flag, although the president has some leeway to customise its appearance. The flag is generally displayed in notable locations associated with the president, usually alongside the national flag, such as the president's offices and the president's official state car, and during notable state occasions.

The presidential standards of Kenya's presidents since the country's independence have been as follows:

* First Presidential Standard of Kenya (1963–1970)

* Presidential Standard of Jomo Kenyatta (1963–1978)

* Presidential Standard of Daniel Arap Moi (1978–2002)

* Presidential Standard of Mwai Kibaki (2002–2013)

* Presidential Standard of Uhuru Kenyatta (2013–2022)

* Presidential Standard of William Ruto (2022–)

## See also[edit]

* List of colonial governors of Kenya
* List of heads of state of Kenya
* Lists of incumbents
* Politics of Kenya
* Prime Minister of Kenya

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Kenya Law | Kenya Gazette". kenyalaw.org. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
2. ^ "137. Qualifications and disqualifications for election as President – Kenya Law Reform Commission (KLRC)". www.klrc.go.ke. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
3. ^ "136. Election of the President – Kenya Law Reform Commission (KLRC)". www.klrc.go.ke. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
4. ^ "142. Term of office of President – Kenya Law Reform Commission (KLRC)". www.klrc.go.ke. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
5. ^ "132. Functions of the President – Kenya Law Reform Commission (KLRC)". www.klrc.go.ke. Retrieved 24 May 2020.

## External links[edit]

* Official website

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Kenya articles

History|

* Timeline
* Wanga Kingdom
* Indian Ocean slave trade
* East Africa Protectorate
* Uganda Railway
* Kenya Colony
* In World War II
* Ilemi Triangle
* Kenya African Union
* Mau Mau rebellion
* 1963 Constitution
* 1982 coup d'état attempt
* Goldenberg scandal
* 1992 Elections
* 2007–2008 crisis
* 2010 referendum
* 2013 Elections

Geography|

* Biosphere reserves
* Climate
* Ecoregions
* Environmental issues
* Great Rift Valley
* Lakes
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* Rivers
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* Wildlife
* World Heritage Sites

Subdivisions|

* Cities
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Politics|

* Constitution
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* Human rights
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* Judiciary
* Law enforcement
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* Political parties
* President
* list
* Deputy President
* Prime Minister (defunct)

Economy|

* Agriculture
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* Shilling (currency)
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Society|

* Child marriage
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* Outline
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* Category
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Heads of State of Kenya

Queen of Kenya|

* Elizabeth II (1963–1964)

President of Kenya|

1. Jomo Kenyatta (1964–1978)
2. Daniel arap Moi (1978–2002)
3. Mwai Kibaki (2002–2013)
4. Uhuru Kenyatta (2013–2022)
5. William Ruto (2022–present)

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Heads of state and government of Africa

Heads of state|

| UN member states|

* Algeria
* Angola
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
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* South Sudan
* Sudan
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* Togo
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* Uganda
* Zambia
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|

Other states|

* Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
* Somaliland

Heads of government|

| UN member states|

* Algeria
* Angola
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Comoros
* Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Republic of the Congo
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Equatorial Guinea
* Eritrea
* Eswatini
* Ethiopia
* Gabon
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* Ghana
* Guinea
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* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Mauritius
* Morocco
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Rwanda
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Senegal
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

|

Other states|

* Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
* Somaliland

Defunct states
and governments|

* Ashanti Empire
* Monarch
* Benin
* Prime Minister
* Burundi
* King
* Central African Empire
* Emperor
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* King
* Egypt
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* Malawi
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* Merina Kingdom
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* Nigeria
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* Orange Free State
* State President
* Rwanda
* King
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* State President
* South Africa
* Governor-General
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* Tunisia
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* Zambia
* Prime Minister
* Zimbabwe
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* Zulu Kingdom
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