Thursday 11th, 2024, President William Ruto chaired a cabinet meeting in what was described as the “last supper” for Ministers. The President, on the 11th of July, dismissed with “immediate effect” all ministers and the Attorney-General.
This comes days after several weeks of deadly protests that led to the withdrawal of an unpopular tax bill and almost 50 deaths. According to the Constitution, the dissolution does not affect the Deputy President, who was elected together with the President as a tag team. The Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, who is also the foreign affairs minister, wasn’t affected legally.
President William Ruto, speaking during a press conference at State House, has dismissed the Cabinet to pave the way for the formation of a “broad-based Government”.
The President said he had acted after an extensive appraisal of the Cabinet’s performance.
He noted that he will consult different sectors and political formations to identify those who will assist him in accelerating Kenya’s transformation. He was keen on the implementation of radical programs to deal with corruption, debt, domestic resources, jobs, and wastage in Government.
“During this process, the operations of government will continue uninterrupted under the guidance of Principal Secretaries and other relevant officials,” Ruto said.
His Administration Gains
The President in his speech, pointed out the significant progress in the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda in the past 22 months.
“Even with the progress we have made, I am acutely aware that the people of Kenya have high expectations of me and believe that this administration can undertake the most extensive transformation in our nation’s history,” he said.
President Ruto said the government has achieved significant progress:
- in increasing food production by reducing the cost of farm inputs, thereby lowering the cost of food and living.
- stabilizing the economy by preventing what was an imminent debt default, stabilizing fuel prices, lowering inflation, and stabilizing the foreign exchange regime.
- implementing radical changes in education, including resolving skepticism around Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), and the roll-out of a new student-focused higher education funding model, with special emphasis on students from vulnerable families.
- improving the student-teacher ratio by employing 56,000 teachers for primary and secondary schools, and 2,000 tutors for TVET colleges.
- resolving the cash transfer program for vulnerable Kenyans, including orphans, the elderly, and people living with severe disabilities, by ensuring they are prompt.
- transformation agenda running on course with 17,000 government services online, while 274 digital hubs have been set up.
- the Universal Health Coverage plan onboarding 107,000 community health promoters and the registration process for the Social Health Insurance Fund is underway and ready for launch on October 1st, 2024.
Mixed Reactions from Kenyans
The dismissal of the Cabinet has excited Kenyans who were very angry with the incompetence and vanity displayed by most of its members. There are online trolls targeted at the fired ministers to add fuel to the fire.
Many have praised the move but wanted the President to swing his axe further, including addressing the pressing issue of medical doctor’s internship postings and stipends. On Tuesday, he reached out to opposition leader, Raila Odinga, to help ease tensions that have gripped the country for a month.
