President-elect William Ruto has revealed that outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta has not congratulated him following his victory in the August 9 presidential election and his confirmation by the Supreme Court on Monday, September 5.
Speaking to CNN on Wednesday, Ruto, however, said he was not bothered by the matter in which his boss has received his victory.
"Unfortunately, President Kenyatta has not seen it fit to congratulate me. Maybe he's a bit disillusioned or maybe he's unhappy that I defeated his candidate, but that is the nature of politics," he told the United States-based broadcaster.
Ruto's phone call with Uhuru
His comments come hours after he said he had talked with the outgoing President on phone regarding the impending transition.
"I had a telephone conversation with my boss, President Uhuru Kenyatta. We discussed the just concluded general election and the transition as envisaged by our democratic tradition and practice," he said in a Wednesday tweet.
The President-elect thanked Kenyans for maintaining peace during the election, saying the country's democracy has grown.
"I think it speaks to the heart of the maturity of the democracy of our country. No citizen, no leader wants their country to be famous for violence.
"That is the standard we have raised for ourselves as the people of Kenya, I am very proud of it," he said.
Ruto intends to participate in Eastern Africa's development including security in troubled countries like Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan.
"I intend to scale up the participation of Kenya in many of the areas, especially in our regional peace initiatives.
"I will be available, I will play my part, I will scale up Kenya's standing and contribution in that space so that together we can contribute to a better, a much more peaceful neighborhood.
"Somalia is a difficult nut to crack," he said.
