Uhuru Kenyatta sworn in as Kenya’s new president

GlobalPost

Uhuru Kenyatta was sworn in Tuesday as Kenya's fourth and youngest president.

The presidential oath of office was administered to Kenyatta, the son of Kenya's first president, by the country's chief justice in a stadium packed with tens of thousands of Kenyans, as well as numerous African leaders and American civil rights activist Jesse Jackson.

More from GlobalPost: Kenya court rules Kenyatta validly elected president

"I do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Republic of Kenya," Kenyatta said, clutching a bible used by his father as he took his oath.

Kenyatta, 51, has also become the second sitting African president to face charges at the International Criminal Court over his alleged crimes against humanity, which include orchestrating inter-tribal violence after Kenya's 2007 presidential election.

"This is a new beginning," Elija Toroitich, a 56-year old farmer at the stadium who voted for Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto, told Al Jazeera"We expect a lot from them due to the pledges they made in their manifesto."

Kenyatta won the presidential election with 50.07 percent of the vote, while his opponent, Raila Odinga, took 43.31 percent. Odinga brought the election results to court, saying they were problematic because of technical issues, but the outcome was upheld. After the court's decision, Odinga offered congratulations to the new president.

"The court has now spoken," Odinga said. "I wish the president-elect and his team well."

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.