The US President Barack Obama is among the world leaders that have been invited for the swearing in of Kenya's fourth president. Head of Public Service Francis Kimemia said yesterday the government has also invited British Prime Minister David Cameron and other European Union heads of state for the event.

Kimemia was speaking at the weekly news briefing by the transition team, which he chairs. The swearing in is slated for March 26 if one presidential candidate wins in the first round.

To win in the first round, a candidate must garner 50 per cent plus one of the votes cast on Monday 4 as well as 25 per cent from at least 24 counties.

A petition will delay the swearing-in. Kimemia said the transition team has invited heads of state of the five EAC partners: Presidents Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Jakaya Kikwete (Tanzania), Paul Kagame (Rwanda) and Pierre Nkurunziza (Burundi).

"We will invite the American President. If he cannot come then he can delegate. If you go to the European Union we have the various countries," said Kimemia at Hotel Intercontinental in Nairobi.

"If you go to the continent of Africa, we have key representatives since we cannot invite everybody to come and witness this historic occasion," he said.

The governments of the EU states have already declared that they will only have "essential contact" with the ICC indictees, Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto, who are running on the Jubilee Alliance, if they are elected to office on Monday.

The two, along with Kimemia's predecessor Francis Muthaura and radio journalist Joshua Sang are due to go on trial at The Hague for their alleged role as key perpetrators of the 2007-08 post-election violence.

Kimemia appealed to Kenyans to conduct the elections peacefully. Speaking at the briefing, Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo said 290 CID officers will be deployed to the 47 counties to monitor hate and violence and gather evidence leading to the successful prosecution of electoral violence cases.