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NAIROBI — Kenya’s embattled President William Ruto sacked nearly every member of his cabinet on Thursday following weeks of youth-led protests across the country.
The exception was Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who retained his job which makes him the most senior government official after the presidency and parliament’s speaker. Mudavadi will also continue to double up as the country’s foreign affairs cabinet secretary.
Ruto attributed the mass dismissals to the protests and resulting withdrawal of his government’s controversial finance bill, which he said had brought the country to “an inflection point”.
The firing of the cabinet has been one of the protesters’ key demands. Ruto said he had taken time to reflect and review the performance of his ministers. Many of the cabinet secretaries are close political allies of Ruto who aided his successful 2022 presidential bid. But allegations of government corruption have turned public sentiment against several cabinet members.
“Even with the progress we have made, I am acutely aware that the people of Kenya have very high expectations of me and they believe that this administration can undertake the most extensive transformations in our nation’s history,” Ruto said at State House, Nairobi, while dismissing his cabinet “with immediate effect.”
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Ruto had earlier made concessions to the protesters, including scrapping the first lady’s official budget, announcing the planned dissolution of 47 state agencies, and suspending purchases of new government vehicles and non-essential travel for government employees.
He also announced a week-long national multi-sectoral dialogue, featuring 150 participants from different interest groups. The plan received the backing of the opposition on Tuesday, but has generally been rejected by protesters who say they only want their demands met.
They have planned a major nationwide protest on Tuesday, July 16 — a day after the dialogue forum is due to begin. Demonstrators have also demanded Ruto’s resignation.
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The protests, in which dozens of people were killed in clashes with security agents, was first sparked by opposition to tax hikes in the finance bill.
The demonstrations have continued despite the president’s decision to scrap the bill last month. Moody’s downgraded Kenya’s sovereign debt ratings this week, citing the government’s inability to introduce “significant revenue-raising measures in the foreseeable future.”