Kenyan President William Ruto on Friday 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 last week 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.
Ruto re-appointed the ministers of interior, defence, environment and lands and changed the portfolios of two other ministers.
The appointee to be education minister, Julius Migos Ogamba, was the running mate of the outgoing education minister, Ezekiel Machogu, when Machogu stood unsuccessfully for governor of Kisii County in 2022, local media reports showed.
Peoplesmind
