Kenya’s William Ruto retains former ministers in new cabinet

AFRICAN BUSINESS AND ECONOMYJuly 22, 2024 at 8:13 PM UTC

TLDR

Kenyan President, William Ruto, appoints holdovers from the sacked cabinet to a new government in response to youth grievances.
Ruto announces 11 appointments, with more to follow soon, following mass firing and withdrawal of proposed tax hikes.
Ongoing protests calling for Ruto's resignation continue with over 50 deaths since June.

Kenyan President William Ruto has mostly named holdovers from the cabinet he sacked last week to a new government meant to respond to the grievances of young protesters. In a televised address, Ruto announced 11 appointments – six from the previous cabinet – with others to follow soon.

The mass firing was a concession to demands from youth-led protests that had already forced him to withdraw $2.7 billion in proposed tax hikes amid the biggest crisis of his two-year presidency.

The protests have resulted in more than 50 deaths since mid-June, and many demonstrators are now calling for Ruto to resign. Large protests took place again this week despite the president’s concessions.

Key Takeaways

The protests have left Ruto caught between pressure from lenders to pay down high debts and a public reeling from high living costs. The government has proposed austerity measures to narrow the deficit caused by shelving the proposed tax raises. Kenyan media outlets had earlier reported that some members of the political opposition were likely to be named to Ruto’s new cabinet. Activists behind the protests, which have no official leader and reject the entire political class as corrupt, have opposed the idea of a unity government.

Kenya

William Ruto

Economy

Protests

East Africa