Tuesday’s presidential inauguration and change of guard is unique in our history for several reasons.

When Uhuru Kenyatta takes the oath of office in Tuesday’s colourful ceremony at Kasarani stadium, he will become Kenya’s first President to have been born after Independence from Britain.

In those 50 years, we have had just three different presidents and Uhuru will be the fourth.

And to make it a truly a generational change in our politics, his deputy William Ruto was also born after Independence.

Secondly, Uhuru will be Kenya’s first President to be inaugurated under the current Constitution, which was promulgated in 2010. This is significant because it places on his shoulders the huge burden of protecting the Constitution and ensuring its full implementation.

Indeed, among the oaths the incoming President and Deputy President will take Tuesday is one in which they will pledge their allegiance to the Republic of Kenya and swear to protect and preserve the Constitution.

As the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, the Constitution requires the new President to be a symbol of national unity.

This is important because nearly a half of all the valid votes cast in the recent presidential election went to his rival, outgoing Prime Minister Raila Odinga. That is a huge constituency that failed to buy into the Jubilee coalition’s manifesto.

Once the Supreme Court of Kenya confirmed Uhuru’s election as valid, he ceased being the leader of The National Alliance and Jubilee coalition and become Kenya’s President-elect. Kenyans will be looking to Uhuru to move away from the ethnicised politics that characterized presidential campaigns and post-election celebrations and launch a campaign of healing the nation.

As President, Uhuru is the bigger man and must not listen to those in his core support who might try to assure him that as the duly elected Head of State, he can turn his back on the loud silence from the 43 per cent of voters still hurting from his victory, and fearful of what the future portends.

And while he will naturally wish to continue the good work of his predecessor, President Kibaki, he must also correct his mistakes. These include, corruption and tribalism in Government.

He must insist that appointments and promotions in the Cabinet, Civil Service, independent commissions, National Police Service, Kenya Defence Forces and State-owned firms are on merit and reflect the face of Kenya.

Uhuru will also have to step in firmly and kill the growing perception in some quarters that his incoming administration will be as hostile to the county governments as its predecessor.

The current administration has done much to poison relations between the central and county governments, with some very senior officials treating Governors with barely disguised disdain and unbridled arrogance. This includes the manner in which Kibaki appointed County Commissioners and retained them after the High Court ruled it unconstitutional.

Nevertheless, we join the nation in wishing the new President and his deputy well as they embark on a long and difficult journey.