Kenyan president dismisses all cabinet ministers after weeks of protests

Kenyan President William Ruto on Thursday dismissed almost all of his Cabinet ministers and promised to form a new government that will be lean and efficient following weeks of protests over high taxes and poor governance.
Ruto said he made the decision after listening to the people and that he would form a broad-based government after consultations.
Kenya has seen three weeks of unrest in which protesters stormed into parliament on June 25 after a finance bill was passed that proposed tax increases. More than 30 people died in the protests, which have morphed into calls for the president to resign.
Ruto said the prime Cabinet secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, a key political ally, would remain in office.
Ruto appointed 21 Cabinet ministers following his election in 2022. Critics accused the president of choosing political cronies and departing from the previous practice of picking technocrats to be in charge of ministries.
Three ministers resigned from their elected positions to take up ministerial appointments. Others lost the election and were seen as being awarded by the president with political appointments.
Several ministries including agriculture and health have been engulfed by corruption scandals involving fake fertilizer and misappropriation of funds.
He also announced austerity measures including the dissolution of 47 state corporations with overlapping functions to save money and the withdrawal of funding for the First Lady’s office, among others.
Analyst and commentator Herman Manyora called the dismissal of the Cabinet a “bold move” that was necessary to quell the discontent in the country.
This is the first time a sitting president has dismissed Cabinet ministers under the new constitution. The last time a similar move occurred was in 2005 after a failed referendum when then-President Mwai Kibaki dismissed his ministers to assert his political authority.