William Ruto: All cabinet ministers are fired by the Kenyan president following weeks of protests
William Ruto: All cabinet ministers are fired by the Kenyan president following weeks of protests
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!On Thursday, Kenyan President William Ruto fired nearly every minister in his Cabinet and pledged to form a new, efficient government in response to weeks of protests against high taxes and inept management.
In a televised address, the president also dismissed the attorney general and said ministries will be run by their permanent secretaries.
Ruto said he made the decision after listening to the people and that he would form a broad-based government after consultations.
After a budget law containing proposed tax increases was passed, protesters in Kenya staged a three-week long uprising that culminated in a June 25 rush into parliament. The demonstrations, which have turned into demands for the president’s resignation, claimed the lives of over thirty individuals.
Ruto declared that his important political friend, Musalia Mudavadi, the prime Cabinet secretary, would stay in her position.
The new government would assist him “in accelerating and expediting the necessary, urgent and irreversible implementation of radical programs to deal with the burden of debt, raising domestic resources, expanding job opportunities, eliminating wastage and unnecessary duplication of a multiplicity of government agencies and slay the dragon of corruption,” he said, adding that the Cabinet’s dismissals were the result of “a holistic appraisal of their performance.”
21 Cabinet ministers were selected by William Ruto after his election in 2022. Critics said that the president had replaced the customary practice of appointing technocrats to head ministries with political allies.
To accept appointments as ministers, three ministers tendered their resignations from their elected posts. Others were perceived as having received political appointments from the president despite losing the election.
Corruption scandals involving bogus fertilizer and money misuse have consumed several ministries, including health and agriculture.
The protestors, who were angry about high taxes and a problem in the cost of living, accused the Cabinet of being inept, haughty, and putting on extravagant shows.
Even after the president declared he would not sign the fiscal plan that included additional taxes, demonstrators still demanded his resignation.
On Friday, William Ruto expressed regret for the “arrogance and show of opulence” displayed by ministers and lawmakers, claiming responsibility and promising to have a conversation with them.
Along with other austerity measures, he announced the elimination of financing for the First Lady’s office and the liquidation of 47 state entities with overlapping functions in order to save money.
