Injuries in crush at stadium as Kenya inaugurates president

By CARA ANNA
Associated Press

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A number of people were crushed and injured as Kenyans on Tuesday forced their way into a stadium where William Ruto will be inaugurated as president.

It is not clear how many people were hurt, but local broadcaster KTN reported hundreds at a Red Cross tent. There are no reports of deaths.

Ruto narrowly won the Aug. 9 election in East Africa’s most stable democracy over longtime opposition figure Raila Odinga, and the Supreme Court last week rejected challenges to the official results.

Ruto has been the deputy to outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta but had a bitter split with Kenyatta that left the two not speaking for months at a time. Kenyatta on Monday publicly congratulated Ruto for the first time on his win.

Ruto is taking power in a country heavily burdened by debt that will challenge his efforts to fulfill sweeping campaign promises made to Kenya’s poor.