Kenyan President William Ruto has dismissed all members of his Cabinet, retaining only Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Prime Cabinet Secretary and Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Dr. Musalia Mudavadi.
During a press conference at State House in Nairobi on Thursday, Ruto announced that this move is part of his strategy to stabilize the nation’s heavily indebted economy.
“I have decided to dismiss with immediate effect all the Cabinet Secretaries and Attorney General of the Cabinet of Kenya except the Prime Cabinet Secretary and the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Affairs, and of course the Office of the Deputy President is not affected in any way,” he said.
He added that additional measures will be announced in due course.
This decision follows widespread protests triggered by the Finance Bill, which has been widely rejected by Kenyans for raising prices and escalating the cost of living, particularly impacting the country’s lower-income population.
Last week, Ruto announced a series of significant actions aimed at implementing strict austerity measures within his government. One of the most notable measures is the dissolution of 47 state corporations. Ruto said that the dissolved parastatals had duplicated mandates and will therefore cease to exist immediately to streamline government operations and reduce redundancy.
Ruto also announced the withdrawal of budget allocations to the office of the First Lady.
As of February 2024, Kenya’s public debt had reached Ksh.11.14 trillion. This significant sum was largely due to a combination of external loans, fluctuations in exchange rates, and the accumulation of domestic debt over time. From January to December 2023, the external debt alone surged by Ksh.1.4 trillion, while the domestic debt saw an increase of Ksh.514 billion.
