Ruto succeeds outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta who did not support his candidacy. Kenyatta is in the twilight of his presidency and will leave office at the end of August.
In the early hours of Monday, his rival Raila Odinga’s coalition rejected the results yet to be announced by Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The national tallying center descended into chaos shortly after Odinga’s coalition rejected the results, with fights breaking out and chairs being thrown into the building.
The country’s electoral commission was divided over the country’s election results as four officials denied the results of commission chairman Wafula Chebukati, officials said at a separate press conference.
IEBC Vice President Juliana Cherera was among those disputing the results.
During the campaign, Ruto described himself as the “promoter-in-chief”, citing his humble beginnings as a chicken seller who fought his way to the top of Kenyan politics.
Analysts had predicted a victory for his rival Raila Odinga, given his performance in opinion polls and the government support he enjoyed.
But Ruto’s populist “man of the people” approach that rejected political dynasties and played on anti-elite sentiment in the country endeared him to voters.
Political analyst Herman Manyora told CNN before the election that “Ruto has excited the youth…almost in a euphoric sense.”
Ruto, a former professor who holds a doctorate in plant ecology from the University of Nairobi, has pledged to prioritize Kenya’s economy and “uplift ordinary citizens” as president.
He will be pressed to come up with solutions to Kenya’s pressing economic problems, including mounting debt, high food and fuel prices and massive youth unemployment.
Ruto has a long and checkered history in Kenyan politics and was also tried alongside President Kenyatta in 2013 at the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands for alleged crimes against humanity following deadly election violence in 2007. However , the charges were later dropped.