Kenyatta sworn in as Kenya' s new president

Inauguration of politician who faces international charges attended
by diplomats, leaders and thousands of Kenyans .
Kenya ' s new president , Uhuru Kenyatta , who faces international
charges of crimes against humanity, has been sworn in to office at
a ceremony in a stadium in Nairobi packed with supporters and
foreign dignitaries .
Kenyatta took the oath on Tuesday on a bible used by his father ,
Kenya ' s first president , and was watched by tens of thousands of
Kenyans, almost a dozen African leaders and other officials.
" I do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the
Republic of Kenya ," Kenyatta said, clutching a bible as he took the
oath of office .
Many Kenyans hope that the son of the nation ' s independence
hero will live up to his pledge to be a leader for all and not just
work for people from his own ethnic group , a practice they have
come to expect from their politicians.
For Western states , big donors to East Africa' s biggest economy ,
Kenya is a vital player in the regional battle against
ultraconservative Islam .
But they now have to juggle their wish for close ties with a policy
of limiting contacts with those indicted by the ICC in The Hague .
'Difficult position '
The US and European powers sent ambassadors to attend
Kenyatta ' s inauguration ceremony, a level of representation
diplomats said was still in line with their position of having only
" essential contacts" with indictees .
" They find themselves in a very difficult position," Daniel Branch ,
Kenya expert at Britain ' s Warwick University, said.
" My sense is everyone will find some method of accommodation."
If the West slips up, it also risks opening more space to China and
other Asian powers that are gaining both political and trading
influence in Africa.
Sitting alongside the Western envoys will be about a dozen African
heads of state , as well as prime ministers and other top officials.
China and India, neither signatories to the statutes that set up the
ICC, are sending senior government officials.
'New beginning'
Tens of thousands of Kenyans , many waving flags, gathered for the
ceremony at a Nairobi stadium from the early morning .
" This is a new beginning ," said Elija Toroitich , a 56 -year old farmer
at the stadium who voted for Kenyatta and his deputy William
Ruto, who also faces ICC charges.
" We expect a lot from them due to the pledges they made in their
manifesto."
He and others want Kenyatta , a 51 - year- old former finance
minister whose family controls a sprawling business empire , to
deliver faster economic growth and help the poor in the nation of
more than 40 million people .
" He and his father own the biggest plot of land in Kenya ," Michael
Amoah , a political analyst , told Al Jazeera .
" Under his watch he has to negotiate the new law that will
redistribute land ."