Ruto Decides On Special Presidential Flag
While sources revealed that Ruto has settled on the colour green as the main colour on his flag, what remains undetermined is the symbol that will feature on the flag.
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President-elect William Ruto has settled on the final design of his presidential standard, a special flag which symbolizes his reign, on the eve of his inauguration on Tuesday, September 13 as Kenya's fifth president.
While sources revealed that Ruto has settled on the colour green as the main colour on his flag, what remains undetermined is the symbol that will feature on the flag.
Many questions have been lingering on whether or not the wheelbarrow will feature on the special flag. This is because the wheelbarrow has been the centre of his agenda during his campaign trails where 'bottom-up' has been commonplace in his plans to lift the country's economy from the bottom.
From top left to bottom right A collage of standards used by president Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel Moi, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta. /VIRALTEAKE
The green colour is also featured on one-half of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) symbol. The last time it was featured as a standard was during the reign of the late former President Daniel Arap Moi.
"Ordinarily, the KDF would ask the incoming president about his design preference, touching on the colour and any other customizations he would prefer. Remember, he is the Head of State of the entire country and this is not about his party," statecraft and security strategist Mumo Nzau stated.
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 was of the reality that the flag of the presidential standard of the outgoing president must be lowered for that of his or her successor to be hoisted. This is one of the roles of importance to the Commander-in-Chief.
"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 said.
Nzau was in agreement with Werunga that the flag is guarded jealously because if that anything happens to it, then all the authority is gone with it.
The presidential standard or presidential flag is the unique flag that is used as a symbol of the current head of state or president. It is only used or raised when the president is present and is a symbol of his authority and will be unveiled during Ruto’s inauguration.
Other than the green colour, the flag is also expected to contain the shield as has been the tradition.
All his predecessors, apart from the late Mwai Kibaki chose symbols from the parties that they were elected. The late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’s flag was blue, bearing the shield, spears and a Jogoo (cock) on the right, symbolising the ruling party at the time; the Kenya African National Union (KANU).
Moi, who was Kenya's second president, kept the Jogoo but changed the background colour from blue to green.
The late former President, Mwai Kibaki chose to do away with his party’s symbol, choosing a white background and only adding an emblem similar to that of the United Nations (UN).
Outgoing President Kenyatta picked a blue background and added the image of a dove which at the time was the symbol of The National Alliance (TNA), which he was elected as Kenya's fourth president. The colour was the same as that of his late father.
Military officers conduct preparations ahead of Ruto's swearing-in ceremony on September 13, 2022. /FILE
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