Kenya's newly inaugurated President William Samoei Ruto on Tuesday promised to immediately appoint six Court of Appeal judges who were rejected by his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta among other pledges.

Ruto, who took oath of office in Nairobi in front of over 20 African Heads of State and Government, spelled out a number of issues that his administration will immediately embark on delivering on.

"To demonstrate my commitment to the independence of the judiciary, this afternoon, I will appoint the 6 judges already nominated for appointment to the court of appeal which was done 3 years ago by the Judicial Service Commission," he said.

Kenyatta declined to appoint the judges in June 2021, claiming there was evidence to suggest that the six judges had credibility issues that made them unsuitable for appointment to the higher courts.

They were to take positions in the Court of Appeal, Environment and Lands Court, and the Employment and Labour Relations Court.

Ruto also pledged to slash the cost of fertilizer, pointing out that agricultural output had declined due to the high cost of farm inputs.

This is in line with a campaign pledge he made to the country's farmers, some of whom had stopped practicing, to enable them continue feeding the country.

The new Head of State noted that the country's forecast for maize harvest this year is below 30 million bags against a normal production of 40 million.

"Our priority intervention therefore is to make fertilizer, good quality seeds and other agricultural inputs affordable and available," Ruto said.

"For the short rains, we have already made arrangements to make 1.4 million bags of fertilizer available at Ksh 3,500 (about 29.06 U.S. dollars) for a 50-kilogram bag, down from the current Ksh 6,500 (about 53.96 U.S. dollars). This fertilizer will be available from next week."

Ruto also took the opportunity to address issues surrounding the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) currently deployed Kenyan schools, which has been the cause of months-long debate.

Critics have argued that the CBC system favors the wealthy at the expense of poor learners, but the current Education Minister George Magoha has repeatedly defended it, noting that learners who go through the current system will be more productive that those who schooled in the former 8-4-4 system.

In his speech, President Ruto told parents his administration will review the CBC system with input from the public.

"I will establish an education reform task force in the presidency, which will be launched in the coming weeks," said Ruto. "It will collect views from all players in line with the constitutional demand of public participation, and we are particularly alive to the anxieties of parents on the twin transition of the last 8-4-4 class and the first CBC class in January next year. I assure all that there will be a solution to the matter before then."

Ruto also reiterated his campaign pledge to steer the country towards faster realization of the 2/3 gender rule as enshrined in Kenya's Constitution.

Despite deliberate efforts by successive governments, the policy has not been achieved in the country, but the election of more women in the last general election reinvigorated optimism that the country could achieve this in the future.

"We will work with Parliament to fast-track various legislative proposals and establish a framework that will resolve this matter expeditiously as I promised in our manifesto. The participation of women in our governance does not make us lesser, it makes us greater. And their role can no longer be nominal, it must be substantive," the new president said.

Ruto took oath of office alongside Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

The two will serve for five years, with Ruto allowed to run for a second and last term in 2027 should he want to.

Focus will now turn to his cabinet appointments, which are expected to be announced in the coming days.