Kenya's pre-independence constitution was based on the standard "Lancaster House template" used for the former British colonies in Africa, subject to early amendments. It was replaced in 1969.
Under the Independence Constitution, the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, was the country's head of state, represented locally by a Governor-General of Kenya, who was the head of government. In 1964, the year after the country gained independence from Britain, the 1963 Constitution was amended to make the country a republic, with the President now serving as both head of state and head of government.
Kenya has had a total of 5 presidents since independence, in successive order: Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki, Uhuru Kenyatta, and the incumbent, William Ruto, who was inaugurated on 13 September 2022. Moi remains the country's longest serving President, having served for a total of 24 years.
Qualifications and election to office
According to the current Constitution, if a person wishes to be elected as President, the following qualifications must be met:
Should have been nominated by a political party to stand as its candidate for the Presidency, or they may stand as an independent candidate; and
The person should have been nominated by more than two thousand voters from each of a majority of the country's 47 counties.[1]
A candidate will be disqualified to run for presidency if they have allegiance to a foreign state or is working for the government in any capacity as a public officer. Being a public officer is not applicable to the incumbent President if running for a second term.
The President is elected by popular vote in the general election held in the month of August every 5 years. For a presidential candidate to be declared the winner, they must have:
More than half of the total votes cast in the election; and
At least 25% of the votes cast in each of more than half of the 47 counties in the country.[2]
The official residence of the President of Kenya is State House, Nairobi.
A president is eligible for two consecutive terms of five years each, starting from the date the president is sworn in.[3] The first president for whom the term limits applied was Daniel arap Moi in 2002.[4]
Roles and responsibilities
The following is a summary of the roles of the President of Kenya as provided in the Constitution of Kenya:
Is the chairperson of the country's National Security Council.
Is a symbol of national unity.
The responsibilities of the President are summarised as follows:
Is responsible for addressing each newly elected Parliament and report once to special parliamentary seating concerning issues of national value and governance.
Holds nominating and appointing authority, with Parliament's approval, over the country's Cabinet Secretaries, Attorney-General, Principal Secretaries, diplomatic & consular representatives and any other public officer over whom the Constitution grants said authority.
Is the chairperson of Cabinet meetings and oversees the running of operations in various ministries and government departments.[5]
The President may also undertake any other executive functions as permitted by the Constitution.
The President also exercises the power of mercy, whereupon the President may pardon a person convicted of an offence.
Additionally, a person serving as President has legal immunity, with the exception of crimes under treaties to which Kenya is party with provisions that prohibit such immunity.
^"137. Qualifications and disqualifications for election as President – Kenya Law Reform Commission (KLRC)". www.klrc.go.ke. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
^"136. Election of the President – Kenya Law Reform Commission (KLRC)". www.klrc.go.ke. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
^"142. Term of office of President – Kenya Law Reform Commission (KLRC)". www.klrc.go.ke. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
^Cook, Candace; Siegle, Joseph. "Circumvention of Term Limits Weakens Governance in Africa". Africa Center for Strategic Studies.
^"132. Functions of the President – Kenya Law Reform Commission (KLRC)". www.klrc.go.ke. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
External links
Official website
May 11, 2023
president, kenya, president, republic, kenya, swahili, rais, jamhuri, kenya, head, state, head, government, republic, kenya, president, also, head, executive, branch, government, kenya, commander, chief, kenya, defence, forces, president, republic, kenyarais, . The president of the Republic of Kenya Swahili Rais wa Jamhuri ya Kenya is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Kenya The President is also the head of the executive branch of the Government of Kenya and is the commander in chief of the Kenya Defence Forces President of the Republic of KenyaRais wa Jamhuri ya KenyaPresidential standardIncumbentWilliam Rutosince 13 September 2022Government of KenyaStyleMr President informal His Excellency formal diplomatic TypeHead of state Head of government Executive presidentResidenceState HouseSeatNairobiAppointerDirect popular vote or via succession from deputy presidencyTerm lengthFive years renewable onceConstituting instrumentConstitution of KenyaPrecursorQueen of KenyaInaugural holderJomo KenyattaFormation12 December 1964 58 years ago 1964 12 12 DeputyDeputy President of KenyaWebsitewww wbr president wbr go wbr ke Contents 1 History 2 Qualifications and election to office 3 Term of office 4 Roles and responsibilities 5 List of presidents 6 Presidential standards 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksHistory EditKenya s pre independence constitution was based on the standard Lancaster House template used for the former British colonies in Africa subject to early amendments It was replaced in 1969 Under the Independence Constitution the British monarch Queen Elizabeth II was the country s head of state represented locally by a Governor General of Kenya who was the head of government In 1964 the year after the country gained independence from Britain the 1963 Constitution was amended to make the country a republic with the President now serving as both head of state and head of government Kenya has had a total of 5 presidents since independence in successive order Jomo Kenyatta Daniel arap Moi Mwai Kibaki Uhuru Kenyatta and the incumbent William Ruto who was inaugurated on 13 September 2022 Moi remains the country s longest serving President having served for a total of 24 years Qualifications and election to office EditAccording to the current Constitution if a person wishes to be elected as President the following qualifications must be met Should be a Kenyan citizen by birth Should be qualified for election as a Member of Parliament Should have been nominated by a political party to stand as its candidate for the Presidency or they may stand as an independent candidate and The person should have been nominated by more than two thousand voters from each of a majority of the country s 47 counties 1 A candidate will be disqualified to run for presidency if they have allegiance to a foreign state or is working for the government in any capacity as a public officer Being a public officer is not applicable to the incumbent President if running for a second term The President is elected by popular vote in the general election held in the month of August every 5 years For a presidential candidate to be declared the winner they must have More than half of the total votes cast in the election and At least 25 of the votes cast in each of more than half of the 47 counties in the country 2 The official residence of the President of Kenya is State House Nairobi The wife of the President is referred to as the First Lady of Kenya Term of office EditA president is eligible for two consecutive terms of five years each starting from the date the president is sworn in 3 The first president for whom the term limits applied was Daniel arap Moi in 2002 4 Roles and responsibilities EditThe following is a summary of the roles of the President of Kenya as provided in the Constitution of Kenya Is the country s Head of State and Government Exercises the country s executive authority Is the Commander in Chief of the country s military the Kenya Defence Forces Is the chairperson of the country s National Security Council Is a symbol of national unity The responsibilities of the President are summarised as follows Is responsible for addressing each newly elected Parliament and report once to special parliamentary seating concerning issues of national value and governance Holds nominating and appointing authority with Parliament s approval over the country s Cabinet Secretaries Attorney General Principal Secretaries diplomatic amp consular representatives and any other public officer over whom the Constitution grants said authority Is the chairperson of Cabinet meetings and oversees the running of operations in various ministries and government departments 5 The President may also undertake any other executive functions as permitted by the Constitution The President also exercises the power of mercy whereupon the President may pardon a person convicted of an offence Additionally a person serving as President has legal immunity with the exception of crimes under treaties to which Kenya is party with provisions that prohibit such immunity List of presidents EditMain article List of heads of state of KenyaPresidential standards Edit First Presidential Standard of Kenya 1963 1970 Presidential Standard of Jomo Kenyatta 1963 1978 Presidential Standard of Daniel Arap Moi 1978 2002 Presidential Standard of Mwai Kibaki 2002 2013 Presidential Standard of Uhuru Kenyatta 2013 2022 Presidential Standard of William Ruto 2022 See also EditList of colonial governors of Kenya List of heads of state of Kenya Lists of incumbents Politics of Kenya Prime Minister of KenyaReferences Edit 137 Qualifications and disqualifications for election as President Kenya Law Reform Commission KLRC www klrc go ke Retrieved 24 May 2020 136 Election of the President Kenya Law Reform Commission KLRC www klrc go ke Retrieved 24 May 2020 142 Term of office of President Kenya Law Reform Commission KLRC www klrc go ke Retrieved 24 May 2020 Cook Candace Siegle Joseph Circumvention of Term Limits Weakens Governance in Africa Africa Center for Strategic Studies 132 Functions of the President Kenya Law Reform Commission KLRC www klrc go ke Retrieved 24 May 2020 External links EditOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title President of Kenya amp oldid 1153475904, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
