In a televised address on Thursday, July 11, the Head of State also dismissed the country's Attorney General, Justin Muturi, in the wake of youth-led anti-government protests demanding the President's resignation.
He directed Principal Secretaries to supervise ministries as he worked on forming a broad-based government to help him achieve "urgent and irreversible implementation of the program we have".
The embattled Kenyan Head of State said he had resolved to dissolve his Cabinet "upon reflection, listening keenly to what the people of Kenya have said and after a holistic appraisal of the performance of the 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 from the Cabinet of the Republic of Kenya except the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs," President Ruto stated.
"I will immediately engage in extensive consultations across different sectors, political formations, and other Kenyans, both in public and private, 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 the program we have," he added.
According to President Ruto, his administration aims to put in place radical measures and programs to deal with the burden of debt, explore raising domestic resources and revenues, expand job opportunities, eliminate waste and unnecessary duplication across multiple government agencies, and slay the dragon of corruption.
"This will make the government of Kenya lean, inexpensive, effective, and efficient," he stated.
The 22 members of the Cabinet fired on Thursday include Njuguna Ndung'u (National Treasury and Planning), Kipchumba Murkomen (Roads and Transport), Aisha Jumwa (Gender, Culture, the Arts & Heritage), Aden Duale (Defence), Alice Wahome (Lands, Public Works, Housing & Urban Development), Alfred Mutua (Tourism & Wildlife), Moses Kuria (Public Service, Performance & Delivery Management), Rebecca Miano (Investments, Trade & Industry), Kithure Kindiki (Interior and National Administration), Soipan Tuya (Environment and Forestry), Zachariah Njeru (Water, Sanitation & Irrigation), Peninah Malonza (East African Community, The ASALs & Regional Development) and Mithika Linturi (Agriculture and Livestock Development).
Others Ezekiel Machogu (Education), Davis Chirchir (Energy and Petroleum), Ababu Namwamba (Youth Affairs and Sports), Simon Chelugui (Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development), Salim Mvurya (Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs), Florence Bore (Labour and Social Protection), Eliud Owalo (Information, Communications and the Digital Economy), Susan Nakhumicha Wafula (Health), and Mercy Kiiru Wanjau (Secretary to the Cabinet).
The changes in Ruto's government come days after he announced new austerity measures to cut government expenditure following the withdrawal of the controversial Finance Bill 2024.
The Finance Bill 2024 sought to raise Ksh 346 billion in additional taxes for the government. However, the proposed law sparked protests from "Gen Zs" who took to the streets to demand the rejection of what they termed as "punitive taxes".
The President announced Ksh177 billion budget cuts to seal the budget hole left after the withdrawal of the bill.
Ruto said the Ksh169 billion budget deficit would be raised through additional borrowing.
He also announced that 47 state corporations would be dissolved and merged with parent ministries, and that the number of his advisors would be reduced by half.
Other austerity measures include the removal of the operations budget for the Office of the First Lady, the Spouse of the Deputy President, and the Prime Cabinet Secretary.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
Source : https://en.igihe.com/politics-48/article/president-ruto-fires-kenya-s-entire-cabinet
