President of Kenya

The President of the Republic of Kenya (Swahili: Rais wa Jamhuri ya Kenya) is the head of state and head of government of Kenya. The president leads the executive branch of the Government of Kenya. The president is the commander-in-chief of the Kenya Defence Forces. The first president of Kenya was Jomo Kenyatta. Now the president is William Ruto.

President of the Republic of Kenya
Coat of arms of Kenya
Presidential Standard
Incumbent William Ruto since 13 September 2022
Style	His Excellency (formal)
Residence	State House, Nairobi
Appointer	Direct popular vote
Term length	Five years renewable
Inaugural holder	Jomo Kenyatta 12 December 1964
Website	statehousekenya.go.ke

Role

Under the 1964 Constitutional Amendment establishing the Republic of Kenya, the President replaced the Monarch as head of state and the Prime Minister as chief executive. The President was initially elected by the House of Representatives of Kenya, and, after the merger of the House of Representatives and Senate into a unicameral National Assembly, by the National Assembly, for a five-year term. In the event of a vacancy the Vice-President would have served as Acting President for 90 days until new elections were held.

Following the enactment of the 1969 Constitution of Kenya, the system of election by the National Assembly was replaced by direct elections under a first-past-the-post system, yet true separation of powers was still not established; The President had to also be elected as an MP and he had to appoint his Ministers from among MPs, the President was still able to dissolve the National Assembly, and the Assembly was still able to declare no confidence in the ministers. Not only that, but until the first multiparty elections in 1992, only one candidate - that of the Kenya African National Union - was nominated and automatically declared winner of the elections without voting actually being held.

With the enactment of the 2010 Constitution, Kenya's current, the first-past-the-post system was replaced in presidential elections in favor of a two-round system, the post of Vice-President was renamed Deputy President and was made to automatically succeed to the Presidency in case of a vacancy for the remainder of the term in a full, not merely acting, capacity, and the requirement of the President, DP, and ministers to also be MPs was abolished, finally establishing separation of powers between the executive and legislature.

Presidents of Kenya (1964 – present)

    KANU     NARC/PNU     Jubilee

№	Picture	Name	Tenure		Election	Affiliation
1		Jomo Kenyatta	12 December1964	6 December1969	1964	KANU
			6 December1969	14 October1974	1969
			14 October1974	22 August1978 (Died in Office)	1974
2		Daniel Arap Moi	22 August 1978 1979	26 September1983	1979	KANU
			26 September1983	21 March1988	1983
			21 March1988	29 December1992	1988
			29 December1992	29 December1997	1992	KANU
			29 December1997	29 December2002	1997
3		Mwai Kibaki	29 December2002	29 December2007	2002	NARC
			30 December2007	3 April2013	2007	PNU
4		Uhuru Kenyatta	4 April2013	4 April 2014 2013	2013	The National Alliance
5		William Ruto	4 April 2014	7 September 2014	—	The National Alliance
4		Uhuru Kenyatta	7 September 2014	13 September 2022	2017	Jubilee Party
(5)		William Ruto	13 September 2022	Incumbent	2022	United Democratic Alliance

Other websites

Media related to Presidents of Kenya at Wikimedia Commons