Kenya’s under-criticized President William Ruto fired all ministers and the attorney-general “immediately” after deadly recent protests led to the withdrawal of an unpopular tax bill.
The president said the measure came after “reflection, listening to Kenyans and a comprehensive review of my cabinet.”
He said he would now consult widely to establish a broad-based government.
The dissolution of the cabinet does not affect the vice president and the prime minister who is also the minister of foreign affairs who cannot be legally dismissed.
Ruto said government operations would continue uninterrupted under the supervision of senior civil servants.
He said he would consult “publicly and privately” with “different ministries, political factions and other Kenyans” on the formation of a new government, but did not say when an announcement would be made.
The dramatic move was highly unusual, coming less than two years after he took office.
The three ministers who were sacked were members of parliament before resigning from legislative posts to join the cabinet two years ago.
One of them is Aden Duale. Quickly post a thank you to the president on X (formerly Twitter) He said he would be “eternally grateful to him and the people of Kenya for giving me the opportunity to serve as Kenya’s defense minister.”
Last Thursday, President Ruto chaired a cabinet meeting that a local newspaper described as “The Last Supper“For the ministers.
A number of ministers were implicated in a corruption scandal, which resulted in the suspension of senior government officials in several ministries. But Mr Ruto defended them, saying there was no evidence to warrant their dismissal.
Last October, Mr. Ruto mini-cabinet reshuffle announced This affected at least eight ministers.
The last time an entire cabinet was dismissed was in 2005, when then-President Mwai Kibaki dismissed the entire cabinet shortly after losing a referendum on a new constitution.
Mr Ruto has been under pressure from Kenyans who have continued to stage anti-government protests and demand more accountability from the government despite agreeing to withdraw controversial tax hikes.
Some protesters have been calling for the president to step down.
Last week, Mr. Ruto announced a number of austerity measures Across various government agencies.
He also ordered a freeze on proposed salary increases for cabinet and parliament members following public outcry.
