Among those who have contacted Ruto are a number of world leaders, and he says he told them not to expect "a big shift" in Kenya's foreign policy.

"I intend to scale up the participation of Kenya in many of the areas, especially in our regional peace initiatives," said Ruto.

"I will be available, I will play my part, I will scale up Kenya's standing and contribution in that space so that together we can contribute to a better, much more peaceful neighborhood."

Among those challenges is Somalia, with has longstanding security issues and now a looming famine.

"Somalia is a difficult nut to crack," said Ruto, who said he has worked with the country's newly-elected President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in the past.

"We are looking forward to working with him and with the international community so that we can straighten out the challenges in Somalia, make it possible for Somalia to take care of its own security concerns," said Ruto.