Will Ruto Include a Wheelbarrow on His Presidential Flag?

A collage of president-e;lect William Ruto and the UDA party symbol..jpg
A collage of president-elect William Ruto and the UDA party symbol.
Kenyans.co.ke

President-elect William Ruto is expected to unveil his presidential standard, a special flag which symbolizes his reign, after taking the oath of office at the Kasarani Stadium on Tuesday, September 13.

While insiders have revealed that Ruto has settled for the yellow colour as the dominant shade in his flag, questions linger on whether the wheelbarrow will feature on the standard.

Why? The wheelbarrow was at the centre of Ruto's campaign encapsulating his campaign agenda.

His predecessor and outgoing president Uhuru Kenyatta settled for blue and used the image of a dove, which was a symbol of The National Alliance (TNA) the party through which he was elected as president.

From top left to bottom right A collage of standards used by president Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel Moi, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta..jpg
From top left to bottom right A collage of standards used by president Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel Moi, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta.
Kenyans.co.ke

Statecraft and security strategist Mumo Nzau stated that as protocol of the transition process, the Kenya Defence Forces reach out to the president elect to enquire on his designs.

"Ordinarily, the KDF would ask  the incoming president about his design preference, touching in the colour and any other customizations he would prefer. Remember, he is the Head of State of the entire country and this not about his party," he explained.

Nzau added that the flag was a symbol of the president's authority, an opinion seconded by Security expert and Executive Director of Geneva Centre for Africa Security Simiyu Werunga. 

Werunga noted that owing to the importance of the role of the Commander in Chief, the flag of the presidential standard of the outgoing president must be lowered for that of his or her successor to be hoisted.

"At no time the military has two Commanders in Chief neither is that responsibility delegatable to anybody else, that is why we do not even have a deputy.

"Whenever there is a change of guard in the country, one must be lowered and the new one is raised," he stated.

Both Werunga and Nzau agree that the unique flag was a symbol of the president's authority and should be guarded at all costs.  

"That flag is guarded jealously because if that anything happens to it, then all the authority is gone with it," Nzau affirmed

"When the president is attending an official ceremony and the flag is not visible or raised, then whatever he says does not represent his authority," Werunga expounded.

Speaking to the press, UDA Chairman Johnson Muthama explained that the party choice of the wheelbarrow as its symbol because it resonated with the plight of the common man.

"We realised that that the bottom gadget that can be exemplified to show exactly what hustler means was the wheelbarrow and that is why we settled on it," he explained.

A military officer at Moi International Stadium Kasarani as she supervises preparations of William Ruto's swearing-in ceremony.jpg
A military officer holds a mock sword of honor at Moi International Stadium Kasarani during preparations of William Ruto's swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday, September 7, 2022.
The Kenya Defence Forces