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Uhuru Presidency Timeline

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Uhuru Presidency Timeline

This timeline documents major events of Uhuru Kenyatta's nine-year presidency (2013-2022).

2013: First Election and Transition

March 4, 2013 - General elections held. Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto (Jubilee Coalition) win with 50.07 percent of the vote against Raila Odinga's NASA coalition.

March 9, 2013 - Raila Odinga and opposition groups challenge the election in the Supreme Court, citing irregularities and fraud allegations.

March 30, 2013 - Supreme Court upholds the election results, validating Uhuru's victory despite the challenge.

April 18, 2013 - Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto are sworn in as President and Deputy President, respectively.

June 2013 - The International Criminal Court confirms the charges against Uhuru Kenyatta for alleged crimes against humanity during the 2007-2008 post-election violence.

2014-2015: First Term Consolidation

October 2014 - Uhuru's trial at the ICC begins, with prosecution presenting witness testimony.

December 2014 - The ICC prosecutor indicates severe evidentiary problems with the case against Uhuru.

2014-2015 - Jubilee government implements infrastructure development agenda, including planning for the Standard Gauge Railway project.

2015-2017: Infrastructure and ICC Cases

January 2015 - The ICC prosecutor formally withdraws charges against Uhuru, ending the trial process.

August 5, 2017 - General elections held. Preliminary results show Uhuru defeating Raila Odinga.

August 8, 2017 - The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officially announces Uhuru as winner with 54.27 percent of the vote.

August 25, 2017 - Raila Odinga petitions the Supreme Court, alleging fraud and irregularities in the election process.

September 1, 2017 - In a historic decision, Kenya's Supreme Court nullifies the presidential election results, citing IEBC procedural failures. This is the first time an African court has annulled a presidential election.

September 15, 2017 - The IEBC sets October 26, 2017 as the date for the presidential election re-run.

October 26, 2017 - Presidential re-run election is held with reduced turnout (approximately 39 percent) due to opposition boycott. Uhuru wins with increased vote share (98 percent) but in a compressed electorate.

2018: The Handshake and Policy Shift

March 9, 2018 - Uhuru and Raila Odinga appear together on television and shake hands, announcing political reconciliation. This dramatic moment reshapes Kenya's political landscape.

March 15, 2018 - Following the handshake, the government begins rolling out the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), a constitutional reform process.

August 9, 2018 - The government orders the shutdown of three major television stations (KTN, Citizen, NTV) for several hours, citing concerns about incitement. The shutdown is later acknowledged as unjustified and lifts following international pressure.

November 2018 - The BBI report is released, proposing constitutional amendments to create a Prime Minister position and restructure the executive.

2019-2021: BBI Constitutional Battle

2019-2020 - Parliament debates and passes BBI constitutional amendment proposals with the required two-thirds majority.

2020-2021 - Civil society organizations file petitions in the Supreme Court challenging BBI's constitutionality based on procedural violations and substantive concerns.

March 2021 - Kenya's Supreme Court rules that the BBI constitutional amendment process was unconstitutional and violates the 2010 constitution. The judgment effectively kills the BBI initiative.

2021-2022: Final Year and Succession

2021 - Uhuru increasingly distances himself from Deputy President William Ruto, signaling that he will not support Ruto's 2022 presidential bid.

May 2022 - Uhuru endorses Raila Odinga for the 2022 presidential election, publicly backing his former political rival and ally from the handshake.

August 9, 2022 - General elections are held. William Ruto defeats Raila Odinga with 50.49 percent of the vote, contrary to expectations given Uhuru's endorsement of Odinga.

August 29, 2022 - Uhuru Kenyatta's presidency concludes as William Ruto is sworn in as the fifth President of Kenya.

Post-Presidency

September 2022 - Uhuru is appointed African Union Special Envoy for Infrastructure Development.

2022-2023 - Ruto's government faces questions regarding potential investigations into alleged Uhuru-era wrongdoing, but prosecutions remain limited.

See Also

Sources

  1. Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (2013, 2017, 2022). "Election Results and Reports." https://www.iebc.or.ke/
  2. Kenya National Archives (2013-2022). "Presidential Chronology." https://www.kna.go.ke/
  3. Daily Nation (2013-2022). "Timeline of Key Events." https://www.nation.co.ke/
  4. Standard Media (2013-2022). "Historical Records and Coverage." https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/

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