Kenyan President William Ruto has fired almost his entire cabinet following widespread anti-government protests in the country last month.
These protests, led by youth groups and triggered by proposed tax increases that Ruto later rescinded, represent the largest crisis of his two-year presidency.
The unrest led to clashes with police, resulting in at least 39 deaths, and included a brief occupation of parliament by demonstrators last month.
Ruto stated in a televised address to the nation that he was also firing the attorney general of the East African country but clarified that the office of the deputy president would remain unaffected.
What Ruto said:
“I will immediately engage in extensive consultations across different sectors and political formations and other Kenyans, both in public and private, to set up a broad-based government,”
“During this process, the operations of government will continue uninterrupted under the guidance of principal secretaries and other relevant officials. I will be announcing additional measures and steps in due course,”
“Even with the progress we’ve made, I’m acutely aware that the people of Kenya have very high expectations of me, and they believe that this administration can undertake the most extensive transformation in our nation’s history,” Ruto said in the address.
The new administration, he said, would help him develop “radical programmes” to deal with the country’s huge debt burden, increase job opportunities, eliminate government waste and “slay the dragon of corruption.”
Last week, Ruto suggested a combination of spending cuts and increased borrowing to address the approximately $2.7 billion budget deficit resulting from the cancellation of the tax hikes.
