Kenyan President William Ruto appointed the first 11 members of his Cabinet on Friday, retaining six former ministers in key portfolios such as defense and interior.
Last week, Ruto dismissed all but one minister, promising to form a broad-based government to address issues that had led to month-long protests. These protests began as opposition to a finance bill proposing new taxes and evolved into calls for the president’s resignation over alleged poor governance.
While retaining the former ministers in the interior and defense ministries, Ruto has yet to appoint a finance minister to oversee the contentious budget. The country’s increasing public debt has been a significant issue, with Ruto defending the proposed taxes as necessary to repay debt and boost internal revenue.
Protesters have been demanding a fresh start, accusing the former ministers of incompetence, corruption, and displays of opulence amid a high cost of living. The interior ministry, which oversees the police, has faced criticism for the shootings and killings of protesters on June 25 during a storming of parliament.
Shortly before the president’s announcement, opposition coalition members distanced themselves from the proposal to form a broad-based government, calling it a “betrayal of the Kenyan people, particularly Gen Zs and millennials,” who have been leading the protests for change.
Opposition figure Kalonzo Musyoka described the Cabinet change as “cosmetic,” asserting that nothing will change as long as the Ruto administration remains in office. He emphasized that any opposition party joining the broad-based government would do so as an individual entity, not as part of the opposition coalition. Main opposition leader Raila Odinga was notably absent during the opposition coalition’s media briefing.
Kenya’s month-long protests, which began on June 18, were spearheaded by young people calling for change, accountability, and good governance, stating they were leaderless and tribeless. According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, at least 50 people have died, and more than 400 have been injured since the protests began.
On Thursday, a court suspended a police ban on protests in the capital, Nairobi.