Several people got injured as multitudes tried to force their way into Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi, Kenya, where the new president, William Samoei Ruto’s swearing in took place.

According to the New York Post, a medic said that 60 people got wounded after a fence at the stadium fell from the force of hundreds of people pushing themselves against it in order to gain entry into the stadium, which was already at full capacity. The medic said they had treated some minor injuries, and those who required further medical attention were sent to a nearby hospital.

Security forces at the stadium tried to keep people from pushing their way in by using their batons but to no avail. Benson Kimutai, who was among the crowd, said that he had received a few strokes from the baton-wielding police force as he attempted to get into the stadium.

It was a narrow victory for President William Ruto in the August 9th elections in East Africa’s most stable democracy. He won against Raila Odinga, who has been a long-time opposition figure and has lost in the last five successive elections held in the country.

Challenges will now face President Ruto in fulfilling his promises to the people of Kenya as he takes power in a government saddled with heavy debt.

Ruto was the Deputy President to the outgoing president, Uhuru Kenyatta, but a bitter falling out between them left the two estranged, and they did not speak for several months. According to a KTN News report, Kenyatta congratulated William Ruto on Monday for the first time since he won the election.

The country’s presidency moves from one leader indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to another. Kenyatta and Ruto had both been indicted over their roles in the deadly 2007 post-election violence that resulted in over a thousand people dead. However, their cases were dropped by the ICC after allegations of witness tampering and intimidation.

Although the country has a history of election violence, the August 2022 elections were peaceful. Chaos erupted only during the final hour, just before Ruto was declared the winner. It happened after the electoral commission publicly split over the verification process of the presidential election results, and a few Odinga supporters tried to stop the Electoral Commission chair from announcing the results.

President William Ruto’s campaign was centered on his humble beginnings and aimed at reaching the poor, working-class people. He referred to himself and his supporters as the Hustler Nation, as evidenced by many tweets on William Samoei Ruto’s Twitter account during the campaign period. He associated himself with the many trying to make ends meet, as opposed to political dynasties like Kenyatta and Odinga. Ruto’s political mentor was the late former president of Kenya, Daniel Arap Moi, who ruled in a one-party state until Kenyans pushed for a multiparty election.

President Ruto says he is determined to rule over a democratic state and welcomes the opposition party’s views.