President William Ruto has congratulated Bassirou Diomaye Faye on his election as Senegal's president.

The 44-year-old, who has never before held an elected office was sworn in on Tuesday and becomes Senegal's fifth president since independence from France in 1960 and the first to openly admit to a polygamous marriage.

"Your visionary leadership is inspiring and sets an unmatched example for emerging leaders," President Ruto said. 

President Ruto pledged support for President Faye, and said his administration is going to work closely with him to escalate Kenya-Senegal ties for our shared prosperity. 

Faye comfortably won the Senegalese presidential election with 54.28 percent of votes in the first round, official provisional results showed on Wednesday.

He placed well ahead of the governing coalition's candidate, former prime minister Amadou Ba, who garnered 35.79 percent.

The victory for Faye, who was only freed from prison 10 days before the election, still has to be validated by Senegal's top constitutional body, which could happen in a few days.

Faye, who has said he wants a "break" with the current political system, is set to become the youngest president in Senegal's history.