Kiir attends Kenyatta inauguration in Nairobi

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta was sworn-in as the country's fourth head of state on Tuesday afternoon, succeeding Mwai Kibaki, who had spent 10 years in power. Kenyatta, facing International Criminal Court (ICC) charges of crimes against humanity, declared his commitment to the protection and maintenance of Kenya's sovereignty. William Ruto, was sworn-in as Kenya's new vice-president during the same ceremony. South Sudan's President Salva Kiir attended the session in Nairobi, along with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn, President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of Tanzania, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, and President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni. A political source from South Sudan told Arabstoday that Kiir had left the country for Kenya on Monday, and held a meeting with the outgoing Kenyan President Kibaki. The source added that Kiir had been assured that the newly-elected President would preserve the good relations with South Sudan. In Khartoum, the Undersecretary of Sudan's foreign ministry, Rahmatallah Mohamed Osman, claimed that both Sudan and Kenya had a good relationship, noting that Kenya had sponsored the negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan in Naivasha, which resulted in the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005. On Monday evening, the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, received a phone call from his Kenyan counterpart Kenyatta. The duo discussed the history of Sudanese-Kenyan relations, and ways to enhance cooperation in the future. Kenyatta, the 51-year-old son of Kenya's founding leader, Jomo Kenyatta, won the presidential election with 50.07% of the vote. His chief rival, Raila Odinga, won 43.31% of the vote and has challenged the outcome in court, saying it was flawed and marred by technical problems. The new president is due to appear at the ICC for his trial in The Hague later this year, accused of allegedly funding a local militia that conducted reprisal attacks in the 2007 election. His deputy, Ruto, is also expected to travel to the Netherlands to answer similar charges.