Kenya’s new president has been sworn into office.  Despite the opposition having left the country rather than attend, Uhuru Kenyatta emphasized that a loyal opposition is necessary for a vibrant Democracy.

Nairobi’s main stadium was packed with a huge crowd of cheering loyalists as Kenyatta took his oaths holding the same bible his father used when Jomo Kenyatta became Kenya’s first president 50 years ago.

Looming over the ceremony is Kenyatta’s upcoming trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague because of deadly violence in the elections of the 2007 presidential election that saw 1,200 people killed.  Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto are accused of orchestrating that violence.  Kenyatta denies it and vows to fight the charges.

The US and most western nations sent Ambassadors to attend the inauguration, which is as far as they would go given the ICC trial.  Stability in Kenya is crucial to these nations, as Kenya is seen as a buffer to the spread of radical Islam in Africa.  Any void of western influence would also easily be filled by China, which has been enormously successful in cutting trade deals for raw resources from African nations.