Kenyan President William Ruto has dismissed his entire cabinet, except for the foreign minister, following widespread anti-government protests. The youth-led protests erupted due to proposed tax hikes, which Ruto subsequently abandoned, marking the biggest crisis of his two-year presidency. Clashes with police resulted in at least 39 deaths, and protesters briefly stormed parliament.
In a televised address on Thursday, Ruto also announced the dismissal of the attorney general but retained the deputy president. He stated, ‘I will immediately engage in extensive consultations across different sectors and political formations, aiming to establish a broad-based government. During this process, government operations will continue uninterrupted under the guidance of principal secretaries and other relevant officials. I will be announcing additional measures and steps in due course.’
Last week, Ruto proposed a combination of spending cuts and additional borrowing to address the nearly $2.7bn budget shortfall caused by the tax hike withdrawal.
