Kenya’s Ruto puts one minister in ‘acting’ charge of most of government after firing cabinet

Musalia Mudavadi, now the head of most of Kenya’s ministries, at a press conference in April 2024. (SIMON MAINA / AFP)

• Kenya now has a single minister in charge of most of its government: Musalia Mudavadi.
• The foreign minister and ally of President William Ruto was one of the few to survive Ruto’s purge of his cabinet in the face of continuing popular protests.
• Ruto last week named Mudavadi the “Acting Cabinet Secretary in all vacant Ministerial Portfolios”, according to a notice published on Wednesday.

Kenyan President William Ruto named Wednesday his foreign minister as “acting cabinet secretary” for all ministries, nearly a week after dismissing almost his entire cabinet in an attempt to defuse deadly anti-government rallies.

The East African nation was left reeling after peaceful rallies last month over steep tax increases spiralled into violence that left dozens killed, and Ruto facing the most serious crisis of his presidency.

Scrambling to contain the fallout, he has embarked on a series of measures, including scrapping the finance bill containing the tax hikes, announcing government cuts, and last week dismissing almost all of his cabinet.

“Musalia Mudavadi… is assigned as the Acting Cabinet Secretary in all vacant Ministerial Portfolios,” according to a government Gazette Notice dated 12 July, signed by the president, and released Wednesday.

Mudavadi, who holds the post of prime cabinet secretary and foreign minister, survived the cabinet purge on 11 July along with Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

Following the resignations, Ruto said that he would “immediately engage in extensive consultations across different sectors and political formations, with the aim of setting up a broad-based government”.

This government would, he said, help him to develop “radical programmes” to deal with the country’s huge debt burden, increase job opportunities, eliminate government waste and “slay the dragon of corruption”.

However, main opposition coalition Azimio said on Wednesday evening it would “not be part of proposed broad based or any other government”.

It said that it had considered “a people driven National Constitutional Convention as a possible pathway towards the resolution of the national crisis”.

Ongoing protests

The cabinet dismissals were the latest move by the increasingly embattled Kenyan president to calm tensions.

Ruto has sought dialogue with the demonstrators, but the movement has spiralled into a broader campaign against his administration, with protesters calling for action against corruption and justice for victims of alleged police brutality.

The initially peaceful rallies degenerated into violence that has left 50 dead and 413 injured since their start on June 18, according to the state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights on Tuesday.

Rights groups have accused police of using disproportionate force against the protesters.

While large street protests have subsided, anger against the government has not, with Tuesday seeing smaller-scale rallies across Kenya.

Some demonstrators clashed with police, according to local media, with officers firing tear gas at small groups gathered to protest in the capital Nairobi.

Many of those attending the marches also carried signs with the still-popular hashtag #RutoMustGo.