Kenya’s President William Ruto has terminated the appointments of all his ministers and the attorney-general with immediate effect following recent deadly protests that led to the retraction of an unpopular tax bill. Ruto stated that the decision was made after “reflection, listening to Kenyans, and a thorough assessment of my cabinet.”
He indicated plans to consult widely to form a broad-based government. The deputy president, who cannot legally be dismissed, and the prime cabinet secretary, who also serves as the foreign affairs minister, remain unaffected by the cabinet dissolution.
President Ruto assured that government functions would continue seamlessly under the management of senior civil servants. He also mentioned that he would consult “across different sectors and political groups, as well as with other Kenyans in both the public and private sectors” to establish a new government, but did not specify a timeline for the announcement.
The dramatic move is highly unusual, coming less than two years after he took office.
Three of the sacked ministers were MPs before leaving their legislative roles to join the cabinet barely two years ago.
One of them is Aden Duale, who in a prompt post on X (formerly Twitter) thanked the president and said he would “forever be indebted to him and the people of Kenya for this opportunity to serve” as Kenya’s defence minister.
Last Thursday, President Ruto chaired a cabinet meeting, which one of the local newspapers described as the “last supper” for the ministers.
Several ministers were implicated in corruption scandals, resulting in the suspension of senior officials within various ministries. However, President Ruto defended the ministers, stating there was no evidence to warrant their dismissal.
In October, President Ruto carried out a minor cabinet reshuffle, affecting at least eight ministers. The last instance of a complete cabinet dissolution was in 2005 when President Mwai Kibaki did so after losing a referendum on a new constitution.
Ruto has faced mounting pressure from Kenyans, who have continued to hold anti-government protests, demanding greater accountability. Despite agreeing to retract his controversial tax hikes, some protesters have called for his resignation.
In response to public outcry, Ruto announced several austerity measures across government agencies last week. He also imposed a freeze on proposed salary increases for cabinet members and parliamentarians.