President of the Republic of Kenya | |
---|---|
Rais wa Jamhuri ya Kenya | |
Presidential standard | |
Government of Kenya | |
Style |
|
Type | |
Residence | State House |
Seat | Nairobi |
Appointer | Direct popular vote or via succession from deputy presidency |
Term length | Five years, renewable once |
Constituting instrument | Constitution of Kenya |
Precursor | Queen of Kenya |
Inaugural holder | Jomo Kenyatta |
Formation | 12 December 1964 |
Deputy | Deputy President of Kenya |
Website | www |
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.
Kenya's pre-independence constitution was based on the standard "Lancaster House template" used for the former British colonies in Africa, was subject to early amendments, and 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 current, William Ruto, who was inaugurated on 13 September 2022. Daniel arap Moi remains the country's longest serving President, having served for a total of 24 years.
According to the current Constitution, if a person wishes to be elected as President, the following qualifications must be met:
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:
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.
A president is eligible for two consecutive terms of five years each, starting from the date the president is sworn in.[3]
The following is a summary of the roles of the President of Kenya as provided in the Constitution of Kenya:
The responsibilities of the President are summarised as follows:
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.
Main article: List of heads of state of Kenya |