President William Ruto has sacked all cabinet ministers and Attorney General Justin Muturi in response to youth-led anti-government protests.
Only Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi, who is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs, escaped punishment.
“After careful consideration and listening to what the people of Kenya have said and after a comprehensive assessment of my government’s performance, achievements and challenges, I have decided, in accordance with the powers conferred on me by Section 152(1) and 152(5)(b) of the Constitution and Section 12 of the Office of the Attorney-General Act, to remove all Cabinet Ministers and the Attorney-General from the Cabinet of the Republic of Kenya with immediate effect except the Minister of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Affairs,” President Ruto said in a televised announcement.
Dr Ruto said he would involve other political players in reshaping his government.
Meanwhile, the president said government operations would continue under the supervision of key ministers and other relevant officials.
“I will immediately begin broad consultations with various sectors and political formations, with the aim of forming a broad-based government that will help me accelerate and expedite the implementation of the necessary, urgent and irreversible radical programmes to deal with the debt burden, increase local resources, expand employment opportunities, eliminate waste and unnecessary duplication of multiple government agencies, kill the dragon of corruption and thus make the government more agile, inexpensive, effective and efficient,” he added.
The president on Tuesday announced plans for a “broad political arrangement,” lending credence to the possibility that he is considering bringing Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement into his beleaguered administration in Kenya Kwanzaa.
the his mom Al-Ghad has learned that the president is considering the possibility of forming a “national unity government” with opposition figures in his administration as part of his way out of the current political crisis sparked by the protesting youth, who have besieged him and demanded a major reorganization of his government.
This will not be the first time Kenya has had a national unity government.
When the late President Mwai Kibaki lost a referendum in 2005 to an opposition camp led by his then-minister Raila Odinga, he responded by firing his entire government. When he reappointed it two weeks later, Mr. Odinga and members of his Liberal Democratic Party were excluded.
“Following the results of the referendum, it has become imperative for me, as President, to reorganize my government to make it more cohesive and better able to serve the Kenyan people,” Kibaki said.
“I have directed that the posts of all ministers and all assistant ministers be made vacant. Accordingly, the occupants of these posts shall cease to hold office with immediate effect,” he said.
