By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Deputy President David Mabuza is in Nairobi, Kenya, attending the inauguration of President-elect, William Samoei Ruto, which takes place on Tuesday, 13 September 2022.
According to a statement released, President-elect Ruto invited Ramaphosa, who has since delegated the Deputy President to represent the government and people of South Africa at the inauguration.
“South Africa and Kenya enjoy strong bilateral relations, which are mutually beneficial and underpinned by common values and principles,” the statement read.
The Deputy President’s Office said the inauguration follows the peacefully held national elections on 9 August 2022, where the incoming President received the majority of votes to become the fifth democratically elected President of Kenya.
Last month, Ramaphosa offered his “warm congratulations” to President-elect Ruto.
“A prosperous and united Kenya is an important prerequisite for and contributor to a prosperous and peaceful continent. We look forward to working with you in pursuit of the Africa we want,” he said.
Ruto is due to succeed his boss Uhuru Kenyatta who retires after two terms in office. At least twenty world leaders are expected at the inauguration ceremony.
Kenyatta rose to power in 2013 in a political marriage of convenience with his deputy Ruto.
At the time the two were facing crimes against humanity charges at the International Criminal Court for allegedly planning and financing those behind the chaos.
Uhuru to as they came to be known worked well in the first term but fell out after the March 2018 handshake between Uhuru and the then opposition leader Raila Odinga. His administration has had a mixed bag of hits and misses.
He will be remembered for big infrastructure projects including new roads, ports and the standard gauge railway. The projects were however said to have led to high public debt.
Kenyatta also failed to tame corruption despite coming to power on a promise to end corruption. Opinion is divided on his performance as curtains fall on his administration.
His successor will inherit an economy on its knees, a country deep in debt and staring at a food crisis following failure of four consecutive rain seasons.