Nairobi — President-elect William Ruto has pledged that his administration will be transparent and will work hand in hand with the opposition in their task of oversighting the Executive.

While making his inaugural speech soon after receiving his presidential certificate, Ruto also indicated that his government will be open and all-inclusive.

He attributed his win to prayers offered on his behalf and thanked political leaders who walked the journey with him.

"I know that there were predictions that I wouldn't get to the ballot, there were predictions that we wouldn't get here, but because there's a God in heaven we're here. And I want to say and confess that without God, we wouldn't have been here," he said

The Kenya Kwanza alliance chief also explained that the State House race was anchored primarily on issues and not tribal inclinations, hence tilting his hat to his main competitor Raila Odinga for running a worthwhile campaign.

"This election was much about the issues than the ethnic configurations that have always informed our elections. I want to thank my worthy competitor, Raila Odinga, for a campaign that we all dwelled on issues and tried to sell an agenda to the people of Kenya."

He promised to work with all elected leaders, and all leaders in Kenya, so that nobody can be left behind.

He also described the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati as the "hero" of the electoral process, patting him on the back for what he termed as bravery amidst a storm.

Ruto also sought to reassure his competitors as well as political leaders who campaigned against him that all was water under the bridge now, as he extended an olive branch to them to ensure efficient service delivery to Kenyans.

"The people of Kenya have won because we have raised the political bar. The people of Kenya are the biggest winners. The hero of this election is the IEBC, led by Wafula Chebukati. I say this with conviction, that the IEBC amazed all of us.