Daniel Arap Moi had picked Kenyatta as his preferred successor. However, he was defeated by the then opposition leaderMwai Kibaki in the2002 election, and Kibaki was subsequently sworn in as the President.[4] Kenyatta served as the member of parliament (MP) forGatundu South from 2002 to 2013 and also as Deputy Prime Minister toRaila Odinga from 2008 to 2013.[5] Currently he is a member and the party leader of theJubilee Party of Kenya, whose popularity has since dwindled. Kenyatta was previously a member of theKenya Africa National Union (KANU), a political party that had led Kenya to independence in 1963. He resigned from KANU in 2012 and joinedThe National Alliance (TNA), one of the allied parties that campaigned for his election victory during the2013 election. He later on went to form a merger with theUnited Republican Party (URP) led byWilliam Ruto to form the Jubilee Party.
In October 2021, Kenyatta and six of his family members including his mother,Mama Ngina, and brother,Muhoho—were named in thePandora Papers leak as beneficiaries of a secretive network of offshore companies and foundations.[11] The documents revealed that the family held assets valued at over $30 million in tax havens such as Panama and the British Virgin Islands, including a secret investment portfolio and real estate. These revelations drew significant criticism, as the use of offshore entities to shield wealth directly contradicted Kenyatta’s public "war on corruption" and his administration’s mandate for financial transparency and lifestyle audits for Kenyan state officers.[12][13]
His family hails from theKikuyu, aBantu ethnic group. His given name "Uhuru" is from theSwahili term for "freedom" and was given to him in anticipation of Kenya's upcoming independence. Uhuru attendedSt Mary's School inNairobi. Between 1979 and 1980, he also briefly worked as a teller at theKenya Commercial Bank.[14]
After attending St. Mary's school, Uhuru went on to study economics, political science and government atAmherst College in theUnited States.[15][16][3] Upon his graduation, Uhuru returned to Kenya, and started a company, Wilham Kenya Limited, through which he sourced and exported agricultural produce.[17]
Uhuru was nominated to Parliament in 1999, he then became the Minister for Local Government under PresidentDaniel Arap Moi and, despite his political inexperience, was favoured by Moi as his successor.[18] Kenyatta ran as KANU's candidate in theDecember 2002 presidential election, but lost to the opposition candidateMwai Kibaki by a big margin.[19] He subsequently became Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. He backed Hon. Mwai Kibaki for re-election in theDecember 2007 presidential election and was named Minister of Local Government by Former President Mwai Kibaki in January 2008, before being appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade in April 2008 as part of the new coalition government.[20]
Subsequently, Uhuru Kenyatta was Minister of Finance from 2009 to 2012, while remaining Deputy Prime Minister. Accused by theInternational Criminal Court (ICC) of committing crimes against humanity in relation to theviolent aftermath of the2007 election, he resigned as Minister of Finance on 26 January 2012.[21] He was elected as President of Kenya in theMarch 2013 presidential election, defeatingRaila Odinga with a slim majority in a single round of voting.
In 1999, Moi appointed Uhuru to chair the Kenya Tourism Board, a government parastatal. In 2001, he was nominated as aMember of Parliament, and joined the Cabinet as Minister forLocal Government.[23] He would also later be elected First Vice Chairman of KANU.[23]
In the 2002 nomination process, which was widely thought as undemocratic and underhand, Moi influenced Uhuru Kenyatta's nomination asKANU's preferred presidential candidate, sparking an outcry from other interested contenders and a massive exit from the party ensued. This move by the late President Moi was seen as a ploy to install Uhuru as a puppet so that even in retirement, Moi would still rule the country through Uhuru and presumably insulate himself against the numerous charges of abuse of office that plagued his presidency.
In January 2005, Uhuru Kenyatta defeatedNicholas Biwott for chairmanship of KANU, taking 2,980 votes among party delegates against Biwott's 622 votes.[26]
Uhuru led his party KANU in the referendum campaigns against thedraft constitution in 2005, having teamed up with theLiberal Democratic Party, a rebel faction in the Kibaki government, to form theOrange Democratic Movement.[27] The result of this was a vote against the adoption of the draft constitution by a noticeable margin, which was a great political embarrassment to Emilio Mwai Kibaki.[28][29][30]
In November 2006, Kenyatta was displaced as KANU leader by the late Nicholas Biwott.[31][32] On 28 December 2006, theHigh Court of Kenya reinstated Uhuru Kenyatta as KANU chairman. However, further court proceedings followed.[33] On 28 June 2007, the High Court confirmed Kenyatta as party leader, ruling that there was insufficient evidence for Biwott's argument that Kenyatta had joined another party.[34]
In the run up to the 2007 general election, he led KANU to join a coalition (calledParty of National Unity "PNU") with President Mwai Kibaki who was running for a second term againstRaila Odinga.[35] PNU won the controversial 2007 elections but the dispute over the poll resulted in the2007–08 Kenyan crisis.[36][37]
Under an agreement between the two parties to end the chaos, Kibaki remained as president in a power sharing agreement with Raila as Prime Minister, while Uhuru Kenyatta was Kibaki's choice as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister For Finance in his share of Cabinet slots.[23][38]
On 13 September 2007, Uhuru Kenyatta withdrew from the December 2007 presidential election in favour of Kibaki for re-election.[39] He said that he did not want to run unless he could be sure of winning.[40]
Following the election, amidst the controversy that resulted when Kibaki was declared the victor despite claims of fraud from challengerRaila Odinga and hisOrange Democratic Movement, Kibaki appointed Kenyatta as Minister for Local Government on 8 January 2008.[41]
After Kibaki and Odinga reached a power-sharing agreement, Kenyatta was named Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade on 13 April 2008, as part of the Grand Coalition Cabinet. He was the Deputy Prime Minister representing the PNU, while another Deputy Prime Minister,Musalia Mudavadi, represented the ODM.[42][43][44]
Kenyatta and the rest of the Cabinet were sworn in on 17 April.[45][46] Uhuru Kenyatta was later moved from Local Government and appointed Minister for Finance on 23 January 2009.[47] During his tenure, he spearheaded a number of reform measures that changed how treasury and government by extension transact business, such as the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) and a fund for the inclusion of the informal sector in the mainstream economy.[citation needed]
Raila Amolo Odinga disputed the election results at theSupreme Court which however held (7–0) that the election of Uhuru was valid and such irregularities as existed did not make a difference to the final outcome.[1] Uhuru Kenyatta was therefore sworn in as president on 9 April 2013.[50]
Uhuru ran for president in the elections held on 4 March 2013 and garnered 6,173,433 votes (50.03%) out of the 12,338,667 votes cast. As this was above the 50% plus 1 vote threshold, he won the election in the first round thus evading a run-off between the top two candidates.[51] He was, therefore, declared the fourth President of the Republic of Kenya by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
According to the IEBC, Raila Odinga garnered 5,340,546 votes (43.4%) and was thus the second in the field of eight candidates. CORD, under the leadership of presidential candidateRaila Odinga,lodged a petition with theSupreme Court of Kenya on 10 March 2013 challenging Uhuru's election.[52]
On 30 March 2013, DrWilly Mutunga, the Chief Justice of Kenya, read the unanimous Supreme Court ruling declaring the election of Uhuru Kenyatta and his running-mate,William Ruto, as valid.[53] On 11 August 2017, the Chairman of the IEBC, Wafula Chebukati announced Uhuru's reelection to a second term in office during the 2017 Kenyan general election, with 54% of the popular vote.[6][7] This was later contested in court and annulled. Innulment, a second election was required in which Uhuru Kenyatta won with 98% of the vote with a 39% voter turnout.[54]
On 9 March 2018 Uhuru Kenyatta agreed on a truce between the opposition leader, Raila Odinga.[55] This action marked the country's watershed moment that redrew its political architecture.[56] On 27 November 2019, Uhuru Kenyatta launched theBuilding Bridges Initiatives (BBI) in Bomas of Kenya.[57] This is one of the outcomes as a result of the truce with the opposition leaderRaila Odinga as its implementations will foresee some amendments in theKenyan Constitution.[58]
Prior to him becoming president, Kenyatta was named as a suspect of crimes against humanity by theInternational Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutorLuis Moreno Ocampo, for planning and fundingviolence in Naivasha and Nakuru.[59] This was in relation to the violence that followed the bunglednational elections of December 2007. In furtherance of his political support for Kibaki's PNU at the time, he was accused of organising a Kikuyu politico-religious group, theMungiki, in the post-election violence. Overall, the post-election violence of 2007 is said to have claimed about 1300 lives. Uhuru maintained his innocence and wanted his name cleared. On 8 March 2011, while serving as minister in Kibaki's government, he was indicted after being summoned to appear before the ICC pre-trial chamber. He was to appear atThe Hague on 8 April 2011 alongside five other suspects.[60]On 29 September 2011, while seeking to exonerate himself, Uhuru Kenyatta put up a spirited fight as he was being cross-examined by ICC Chief prosecutorLuis Moreno Ocampo in The Hague, denying any links with the outlawedMungiki sect. He said Prime MinisterRaila Odinga should take political responsibility for the acts of violence and killings that followed the 2007 presidential elections in Kenya. He told the three judges that "by telling his supporters election results were being rigged, fanned tensions and then failed to use his influence to quell the violence that followed the announcement of the 2007 presidential results."
Though Uhuru had previously dismissed ICC summons,[61] he changed his decision along the way. Together with his two other co-accused suspects, Head of Civil Service, Ambassador Francis Muthaura and former Police Commissioner Hussein Ali, the trio honoured the ICC Summons that sought to determine whether their cases met the set standards for international trials.[62] On 23 January 2012, the ICC confirmed the cases against Kenyatta and Muthaura although the charges against Muthaura were subsequently dropped.[63] Serious concerns about the case have been raised, particularly the nature of the evidence being used against Kenyatta. There are also serious concerns about witness tampering and indeed, a number of witnesses have disappeared or died,[64] which is the reason cited by the ICC for dropping charges against Mathaura.[65] On a 12 October 2013 speech to the African Union in which he set a belligerent tone, Uhuru accused the ICC of being "a toy of declining imperial powers".[66]
On 31 October 2013, the ICC postponed Kenyatta's trial for crimes against humanity by three months until 5 February 2014 after the defense had requested more time.[67]
On 8 October 2014, Kenyatta appeared before the ICC in The Hague. He was called to appear at the ICC "status conference" when the prosecution said evidence needed to go ahead with a trial was being withheld. In a speech to the Kenyan parliament Kenyatta said that he was going to The Hague in a personal capacity — not as president of the country — so as not to compromise the sovereignty of Kenyans. Kenyatta did not speak in court, but denied the charges in comments to journalists as he left the court to catch a flight back home. "We as Kenyans, we know where we came from, we know where we are going, and nobody will tell us what to do," he said. The judges adjourned the hearings and charges were dropped on 13 March 2015.[68][69][70]
On 20 May 2012, Uhuru Kenyatta attended the elaborately assembled and much-publicized launch ofThe National Alliance party in a modern high-tech dome at theKenyatta International Conference Centre. His presence at the TNA launch was a strong indication that he would contest for the party's presidential nomination ticket in his quest for the presidency in the 2013 General Elections.
Speeches at the launch revolved around the need for a thriving economy, the need for the rights of people of all classes in society to be championed, the need for peaceful co-existence, the need for visionary and committed leadership, the need for transformative leadership, the need for a youthful crop of committed professionals in leadership, the need for free and fair nomination and election processes in the General Election, the need for an economically empowered youth and a call to bring an end to divisive and sectarian interests in politics to safeguard Kenya from sliding to dictatorship.[citation needed]Machel Waikenda was the director of communications and secretary of arts and entertainment of the National Alliance, from April 2012 to August 2013 and he led themedia and communications department of the party during the 2013 elections.[71]
On 17 September 2012,The National Alliance party had its first real test when it contested various civic and parliamentary positions in a by-election that covered 17 seats in total; 3 parliamentary and 14 civic. Overall, 133,054 votes were cast in the by-elections and TNA led the pack after it garnered 38.89% or 51,878 votes, followed byOrange Democratic Movement with 33.7% or 44,837 votes,Party of National Unity with 4.46% or 5,929 votes,Wiper Democratic Movement with 4.44% or 5,912 votes andUnited Democratic Forum with 4.15% or 5,520 votes.
TNA won civic and parliamentary seats in 7 different counties while its closest challengers, ODM won seats in 4 counties.[72]The National Alliance Party remained a strong contender for the following year's general elections, having received major defections from other big political parties of Kenya. The successful election of TNA's main candidates (Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto) continued to enhance TNA's viability.
Uhuru Kenyatta's party,The National Alliance (TNA) joinedWilliam Ruto's United Republican Party (URP), Najib Balala's Republican Congress Party (RCP) and Charity Ngilu's National Rainbow Coalition party to form the Jubilee Alliance coalition. Various opinion polls prior to the election placed Uhuru as one of the main contenders, and his Jubilee Alliance as among the most popular. The other formidable coalition was the Coalition For Reform and Democracy (CORD), led byRaila Odinga.
In undercover video footage, released in a BBC news report on 19 March 2018,[73] the managing director of Cambridge Analytica, a political consultancy that worked to elect Donald Trump in the 2016 American presidential election, boasted that his firm had run successful presidential election campaigns in Kenya in 2013 and 2017, though he did not name Kenyatta explicitly. "We have re-branded the entire party twice, written the manifesto, done research, analysis, messaging," Turnbull said, of the campaigns that his company managed in Kenya. "I think we wrote all the speeches, and we staged the whole thing—so just about every element of this candidate."[74] A Jubilee Party vice president admitted on 20 March 2018, that the party had hired an affiliate of Cambridge Analytica for "branding" in the 2017 election.[75]
Uhuru Kenyatta was officially declared the president elect on Saturday 9 March at 2:44 pm.[76][77][78][79]
As per the IEBC's official results, Uhuru got 6,173,433 of the 12,221,053 valid votes cast ahead of the second placed Raila Odinga who garnered 5,340,546 (43.7%). Uhuru's result was 50.51% of the vote and was above the 50% plus 1 vote threshold set out in the 2010 constitution, thus making him the president-elect.[80]
There was some discontent with the official results, as would be expected in such a hotly contested election, especially in Raila Odinga's strongholds. The inordinate delay[81] in releasing the results and the technical failure of some safeguards and election equipment deployed by the IEBC did not help the perception that the election had been less than free and fair.[82]
Further, anexit poll conducted by UCSD Professor Clark Gibson and James Long, Asst. Prof. and University of Washington suggested that neither Odinga nor Kenyatta had attained the 50% plus one vote threshold.[83] Analysts[who?] have contended that even though elections for five other levels were held in Kenya at the same time, their national turnout levels and total vote tallies were about 16% less than the presidential total; e.g. while 10.6 million voters elected candidates for member of the National Assembly, the Senate and the 47 gubernatorial seats, almost 2 million more voted in the presidential election. This has fueled concern and speculations of vote manipulation in President Kenyatta's favor.[84]
Two groups disputed these results and filed petitions challenging various aspects of it at the Supreme Court of Kenya tocontest the result. The groups were the Coalition For Reform and Democracy, CORD, led byRaila Odinga, and the Africa Centre for Open Governance (AFRICOG). Uhuru Kenyatta and his running mate were respondents in these cases and were represented by Fred Ngatia and Katwa Kigen respectively.[85]
The Supreme court judges unanimously upheld the election of Uhuru Kenyatta as Kenya's fourth president after rejecting Raila Odinga's petition in a verdict delivered on Saturday 30 March 2013. Chief JusticeWilly Mutunga in his ruling said the elections were indeed conducted in compliance with the Constitution and the law.[86]
After theSupreme Courtdismissed the petitions theswearing in ceremony was held on 9 April 2013 at theMoi International Sports Centre,Kasarani,Nairobi, in accordance to Article 141 (2) (b) of the constitution which stipulates that in case the Supreme Court upholds the victory of the president-elect, the swearing in will take place on "the first Tuesday following the seventh day following the date on which the court renders a decision declaring the election to be valid".[87]
During his inaugural speech, Uhuru promised economic transformation throughVision 2030, unity among all Kenyans, free maternal care and that he will serve all Kenyans. He also promised to improve the standards of education in Kenya. During the Madaraka day Celebrations, a national holiday celebrated to the country's independence on 1 June, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced free maternal care in all public health facilities, a move that was welcomed by many Kenyans.[88][89][90]
On 1 September 2017, theSupreme Court of Kenya nullified there-election of Uhuru Kenyatta after theIndependent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had announced him the winner on 8 August 2017.[91] As a result of that, there was a need for the election to be held once again. It was scheduled for 26 October 2017. After the reelection, Uhuru Kenyatta emerged the winner once again.
He was sworn in on 28 November 2017 for his second presidential term.[92]
In 2021, drought is again taking its toll. According to the UN, more than 465,000 children under the age of five are malnourished. Food insecurity affects more than 2.5 million people in the country. Uhuru Kenyatta speaks of a "national disaster". However, he is criticised for the slow humanitarian response and lack of planning.[93]
The Mukuru Kwa Njenga slum in Nairobi is being razed in October 2021 to make way for the widening of a road, leaving 40,000 people homeless overnight, with no offer of alternative accommodation.[94]
The major challenges his administration faced included high cost of living, rising public debt, a high public wage bill and allegations of corruption among people within his government.[95]The 2017 general election and its violence is also a challenge that threatened not only his presidency but also the future of the East African Nation.
The high publicwage was a headache to Uhuru's administration.[96] At the start of his term, the President decried the high wage bill which was at 12% ofGDP (as against a recommended 7%).[97] In 2015, the President stated that the wage bill was at 50% of the total annualrevenue collection of government.[98] In an attempt to curtail it, the President announced a pay cut for himself and his Cabinet in March 2014, reducing his salary by 20%.[99] It was hoped that the high earners in government would follow suit but this did not materialize.[100] Another measure was the newly createdconstitutionalSalaries and Remuneration Commission which it was hoped would regularize salaries but it has faced an up hill battle againstMembers of Parliament, who wish to protect their earnings and labor unions.[101][102] The President thereafter ordered anaudit of the government payroll so as to flush out ghost workers.[103] The audit identified 12,000 ghost workers.[104] In the meantime, lower cadre government workers have demanded pay rises, more so byteachers andhealth workers, who have gone on strikes at various times to demand the increase.[105][106] The strikes in the health sector mainly affect thecounties, Kenya's other level of government, as it is managed by the devolved units.[107]
On 28 June 2018, Kenyatta declared a major crackdown on corruption and stated that no one was immune from corruption charges in Kenya.[108] Kenyatta also stated his own brother Muhoho, a director in a company that had been accused in parliament of importing contraband sugar, should be charged if there is clear evidence against him.[109]
On 11 August 2018, Mohammed Abdalla Swazuri, the chairman of National Land Commission, and Atanas Kariuki Maina, managing director of theKenya Railways Corporation, were among 18 officials, businesspeople and companies arrested on corruption charges involving land allocation for the $3 billion flagshipNairobi-Mombasa railway.[110] On 7 December 2018, Joe Sang, the CEO of the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC), was arrested with four other senior officials in connection with the loss of an unspecified amount of money during the construction of an oil jetty in the western city of Kisumu.[111][112] On 22 July 2019, Kenya's finance ministerHenry Rotich became the country's first sitting minister to be arrested for corruption.[113] 27 other people were arrested with Rotich as well.[113] On 6 December 2019, federal authorities arrested Nairobi GovernorMike Sonko on corruption charges.[114][115][116] On 14 January 2020, Kenyatta replaced Rotich with Labour SecretaryUkur Yatani.[117]
On 28 May 2020, a breakthrough in Kenyatta's pledge to combat corruption in Kenya occurred when 40 civil servants and 14 private sector officials, including National Youth Service (NYS) Director General Richard Ndubai, were arrested on charges related to theNational Youth Service scandal.[118][119]
On 9 December 2020, it was confirmed by the Kenya News Agency that the National Anti-Corruption Campaign Steering Committee (NACCSC) was in the process of strengthening its collaboration with other crime fighting agencies, including those in Kenyatta's government.[120] The group had National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO) in hopes they would support the County Anti-Corruption Civil Oversight Committee (CACCOC).[120] The day before, Winnie Guchu, who serves in Kenyatta's government as the Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) in the Office of the Attorney General and the Department of Justice, confirmed in a press conference that she had met with members of CACCOC to strengthen relations.[120] On 11 December 2020, the Kenyan government'sEthics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) released a statement confirming that Robert Pavel Oimeke, the director general of Kenya's Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, was arrested and taken into police custody on charges of demanding 200,000 Kenyan shillings ($1,795) to approve the re-opening of a petrol station that had been shut down over violations.[121] On 21 December 2020, Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Benson Mutura replaced Sonko, who was removed from office four days prior, as Governor of Nairobi.[122]
The 2021Pandora Papers revelations created a significant political contradiction for Uhuru Kenyatta, who had built his second-term legacy on a highly publicized "war on corruption" and a demand for financial integrity among public officials. While Kenyatta had famously declared that every civil servant's wealth must be "declared and known," the leaked records from the ICIJ showed his family utilized the Varies Foundation in Panama — a jurisdiction known for extreme secrecy—to manage a portfolio of stocks and bonds worth over $30 million. This "secret foundation" was designed to bypass traditional probate and public disclosure, directly clashing with his 2018 executive order requiring the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to conduct lifestyle audits on state officers.[123] Critics argued that the use of these offshore structures facilitated capital flight and tax avoidance, undermining the domestic economy he was sworn to protect. Despite his administration’s aggressive pursuit of tax evaders through theKenya Revenue Authority, the discovery that his family—including his mother Mama Ngina and brother Muhoho benefited from tax-haven confidentiality led to widespread accusations of hypocrisy, as it suggested a "double standard" where the ruling elite could shield their wealth from the very transparency laws they imposed on the citizenry.[124][125]
In 2020, the Kenyatta administration faced significant public backlash following revelations of massive graft at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA). An investigative report by NTV Kenya titled "COVID-19 Millionaires" alleged that KSh 7.8 billion intended for the pandemic response had been misappropriated through irregular tenders awarded to politically connected firms. The Auditor General subsequently confirmed that at least KSh 2.3 billion was lost due to procurement violations and the purchase of supplies at double the market price. While Kenyatta ordered the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to fast-track investigations, the scandal led to widespread protests and accusations that the administration was shielding high-ranking individuals and "briefcase companies" from prosecution. The scandal severely impacted the government's credibility in managing emergency funds and was cited by critics as a low point in Kenyatta's second-term anti-corruption efforts.[126][127][128]
In 2014, the Kenyatta administration issued Kenya's first sovereign bond, raising$2 billion (approx. KSh 176 billion) intended for infrastructure development and debt repayment. However, the project became mired in controversy when the Auditor General, Edward Ouko, reported in 2015 that KSh 215 billion from the Eurobond proceeds could not be accounted for in the records of the respective ministries.[129] Opposition figures, led byRaila Odinga, alleged that the funds had been embezzled, leading to a protracted political standoff.[130] Kenyatta faced criticism for his public rebuke of the Auditor General during a 2016 governance summit, where he dismissed the investigation into the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as a waste of time.[131] While the Treasury maintained that no funds were lost, the scandal intensified public concerns over the sustainability of Kenya's national debt, which increased nearly fivefold during Kenyatta's presidency.[132]
As the President, Kenyatta'a foreign relations were dominated by theICC question.[133] His relations with the West were expected to be cold, more so after the West warned Kenyans not to elect him as president.[134] The United Kingdom promised to have only essential contacts with him if he were elected.[135] However, his relationship with the West thawed significantly and he participated in the US–Africa summit[136] as well as a Somalia summit in the United Kingdom.[137] The ICC accused his government of frustrating its investigation efforts into the case,[138] although it absolved the President personally of any involvement in the frustration.[139]
His activities, however, were more robust at the African level where he has pushed more intra-Africa trade and economic independence of African nations.[140] In November 2014, he launched consultations to reform theUnited Nations Security Council to expand the voice of Africa in the council.[141] He successfully rallied the AU against the ICC culminating in an Extraordinary Summit of the African Heads of State which resolved that sitting African Heads of State should not appear before the ICC.[142] The AU further asked the Security Council to suspend his trial at the ICC; for the first time ever, the Security Council resolution was defeated by abstention with 9 members of the Council abstaining rather than voting against so as not to offend Kenyatta.[143] The Assembly of State Parties of the ICC would two days later amend the ICC statute to allow for one to appear by video link, a proposal President Kenyatta had made when he was Deputy Prime Minister.[144]
He attended the funeral ofNelson Mandela and was received warmly by the crowds.[148] He also attended the funeral of PresidentMichael Sata of Zambia in November 2014. However, it had been perceived that his administration's relations with Botswana were strained due to Botswana's support of the ICC process. He visited Botswana to remove this perception and Botswana voted in favor of the AU's ICC Resolution.[149]
His government had closer ties with China which was funding most of his infrastructure projects.[150]
Map highlighting countries where Kenyatta madeofficial visits while president
In November 2020, it was noted that he was the most traveled Kenyan president compared to his predecessors. One of the leading national newspapers noted that Uhuru Kenyatta had been out of the country 43 times as of November 2015[151] in a period of about three years since he took office in 2013, as compared to 33 times over a span of 10 years by his predecessorMwai Kibaki.[152] The president's strategic communications unit[153] came out in defense of these trips stating that these trips had yielded more than what it cost the taxpayers to finance them.[154]
In October 2021, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) released thePandora Papers, a massive leak of nearly 12 million documents that identified then-President Uhuru Kenyatta and six family members as beneficiaries of a secretive network of 11 to 13 offshore entities.[155] These holdings, registered in tax havens likePanama and theBritish Virgin Islands (BVI), included foundations such as Varies and Criselle, which were used to manage bank accounts and real estate valued at over $30 million (approx. KSh 3.3 billion). Key assets uncovered included a London apartment worth nearly $1 million and an investment portfolio of stocks and bonds valued at $31.6 million as of 2016. While the investigation found no direct evidence that the Kenyattas stole state funds, the revelations caused significant public outcry inKenya, where the average annual salary is less than $8,000. Critics pointed to the moral contradiction of a leader who championed anti-corruption and transparency while secretly shielding a vast family fortune from public scrutiny and potential domestic taxation. Although Kenyatta claimed the leak would "enhance financial transparency," he did not directly address why his family utilized these complex offshore structures, which experts argue deprive the national economy of vital capital and shift the tax burden onto ordinary citizens.[156][157]
His government's first year in office received low ratings from the general public. This is after a poll bySynovate indicated that more than half of the population was unhappy with how the government had conducted its affairs. The same polls also ranked the presidency as the second most trusted institution after the media. After his appearance atThe Hague for hisICC case in October 2014, his poll ratings improved to 71%, according to a poll by Synovate.[158][159] A poll by Gallup in August 2014 put his approval ratings at 78%, giving him the third best job approval ratings among African Presidents afterIan Khama ofBotswana andIbrahim Boubacar Keïta ofMali.[160] In 2015, due to allegations of corruption against some members of his government, his poll ratings dropped to his lowest rating yet at 33%, according to an Infotrack poll.[161] By February 2017, his poll numbers had, however, risen to 57%.[162] His poll numbers in 2018 rose to 74% in light of a renewed effort to battle corruption.[163]
During his presidency, Uhuru Kenyatta faced persistent criticism from legal bodies and the Judiciary of Kenya for what was described as a habitual disregard for therule of law andjudicial independence. The most prominent instance of this friction was his years-long refusal to appoint six judges recommended by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), despite multiple High Court rulings declaring his inaction unconstitutional. Former Chief JusticeDavid Maraga famously issued a public rebuke of the Executive in 2020, accusing the administration of defying over 15 valid court orders, including directives regarding the illegal deportation of activistMiguna Miguna and the unlawful demolition of homes inKariobangi. Furthermore, the courts repeatedly struck down executive actions, such as the transfer of the Kenya Meat Commission to the Ministry of Defence and the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), which the Supreme Court ultimately ruled was an unconstitutional presidential attempt to amend the constitution. While Kenyatta defended his actions by citing intelligence reports on the integrity of certain nominees, critics and bar associations argued his selective enforcement of the law created a "constitutional crisis" and fostered a culture of executive impunity.[164][165][166][167][168]
On 1 August 2025, Kenyatta returned to State House, Nairobi which was his first visit since handing over the presidency in 2022 to participate in a high-level summit of the East African Community (EAC) and SADC.[170]
In September 2025, at a Jubilee Party delegates conference, Kenyatta publicly criticised his successor’s administration, accusing it of eroding key gains made during his own term (including maternal-health programmes and infrastructure[171]).
In 2025, a high-stakes tax dispute involving theKenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and Edge Worth Properties Ltd revealed that the family of former President Uhuru Kenyatta held undisclosed financial interests in theNairobi Expressway project. According to findings by the Tax Appeals Tribunal in July 2025, Edge Worth Properties—which supplied land and construction materials for the highway—was a proxy for Enke Investments, a firm owned by former First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta and Muhoho Kenyatta. The tribunal case disclosed that in 2022 alone, Edge Worth declared KSh 1 billion (approx. $7.6 million) in dividends payable to Enke Investments, prompting the KRA to initially demand KSh 249.2 million in unpaid taxes over hidden ownership and irregular profit claims. Court documents confirmed significant profits through these sub-contracts, leading to calls from lawmakers for a full parliamentary probe into potential conflicts of interest during Kenyatta's tenure.[172][173]
^"Kenya: Kibaki Names Cabinet".The East African Standard. allAfrica.com. 8 January 2008.Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved10 May 2013.
^Alex Ndegwa; Cyrus Ombati (13 August 2011)."'Ocampo three' defy summons".The Standard Newspaper.Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved10 May 2013.
Italics and (*) indicate that a person was convicted by the ICC and that the conviction remains valid; a name in (parentheses) indicates that charges were dropped or a conviction was overturned; † indicates a person confirmed by the ICC as deceased before or during trial; (x) after a name indicates that the case was closed by the ICC because of a national-level trial of the accused
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