By Abiola Olawale
Kenyan President William Ruto on Thursday announced his decision to fire his entire cabinet, except two cabinet members.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi are not affected by the massive overhaul, the President revealed.
Ruto during a televised address said: “Upon reflection, listening keenly to what the people of Kenya have said and after a holistic appraisal of the performance of my Cabinet and its achievements and challenges, I have, in line with the powers given to me by Article 152(1) and 152(5)(b) of the Constitution and Section 12 of the Office of the Attorney-General Act, decided to dismiss with immediate effect all the cabinet secretaries and the Attorney General of the cabinet of Kenya, except the prime cabinet secretary and cabinet secretary for diaspora affairs. The office of the vice president is not affected in any way.”
Following his decision, the Kenyan President revealed that he would engage in extensive consultations across different sectors and political formations to set up a new cabinet.
According to him, the new cabinet will be a “broad-based” government that will assist him in dealing with the burden of debt, raising domestic resources, eliminating wastage and corruption in government and expanding job opportunities for the youth.
“I will immediately engage in extensive consultations across different sectors and political formations, with the aim of setting up a broad-based government that will assist me in accelerating and expediting the necessary, urgent and irreversible, implementation of radical programmes to deal with the burden of debt, raising domestic resources, expanding job opportunities, eliminate wastage and unnecessary duplication of a multiplicity of government agencies and slay the dragon of corruption consequently making the government lean, inexpensive, effective and efficient,” he added.
The New Diplomat reports that this comes after weeks of anti-government protests in the country. Kenya suffered a deadly crisis after the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition failed to heed calls to reject the controversial 2024 Finance Bill.Several youths took to the streets to protest a clause inserted in the Finance Bill will seeks to raise revenues through taxes.
But what started as protests against new taxes on bread, cars, diapers, and sanitary towels, among other items, escalated into calls for Ruto to resign, with Kenyans accusing his government of corruption, extra-judicial killings, abductions, and incompetence.
Following the deadly protests, Ruto withdrew the controversial Bill and slashed the 2024/2025 budget by $1.3 billion.
Ruto in a televised address had also revealed that he would send a bill detailing a new fiscal strategy to the parliament. The proposal includes spending cuts totalling 177 billion shillings ($1.39 billion) for the fiscal year that began this month.
He further announced that budgets allocated to the offices of the First Lady and Second Lady would be scrapped.
Ruto also dissolved 47 state agencies and suspended all non-essential travel for government workers.
