Kenyan President Ruto Fires Cabinet Amid Protests

Kenyan President William Ruto has dismissed his entire cabinet, except for the foreign minister, due to nationwide protests against planned tax hikes. The protests turned violent, leading to the death of at least 39 people. Ruto promised a broad-based government and additional measures to address the crisis.

Kenyan President William Ruto on Thursday fired his entire cabinet apart from the foreign minister, responding to the pressure from nationwide protests that have posed the biggest crisis of his two-year presidency. The youth-led protests against proposed tax hikes started peacefully but escalated into violence, resulting in at least 39 deaths in clashes with police last month. Some protesters briefly stormed parliament, prompting Ruto to retract the new taxes.

"I will immediately engage in extensive consultations across different sectors and political formations and other Kenyans, both in public and private, with the aim of setting up a broad-based government," Ruto said in a televised address to the nation, adding that he would announce additional measures later. He also dismissed the attorney general, noting that the office of the deputy president remains unaffected.

The sweeping cabinet overhaul was a response to public demands, according to veteran anti-corruption activist John Githongo. "Let us see what happens now if the new ministers tackle significant issues like corruption, government excesses, and the deaths during the demonstrations," Githongo told Reuters, expressing hope for temporary calm.

Ruto has been navigating between the expectations of international lenders such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for deficit reduction and a population burdened by rising living costs. Last week, he proposed measures involving spending cuts and additional borrowing to address a $2.7 billion budget deficit caused by the rollback of tax hikes.

Analysts suggested that the tax rollback could lead Kenya to miss IMF targets, despite the government not facing imminent debts. The budget deficit is projected to be 4.6% of GDP for the fiscal year starting July 1.

Ojango Omondi, a community activist, described the cabinet dismissals as a "move towards justice" but emphasized the importance of appointing accountable new ministers. "It's one thing to dismiss, the second is to ensure that the new cabinet members adhere to the constitution and rule of law," Omondi said. (Additional reporting by Aaron Ross in Nairobi and Bhargav Acharya in Johannesburg; Writing by Alexander Winning; Editing by Bate Felix and Arun Koyyur)