Young Kenyans condemned President William Ruto’s decision to fire the majority of his cabinet on Friday, with some threatening to resume street protests unless he resigns.
Ruto has been scrambling to minimise the consequences of deadly protests over proposed tax hikes after last month’s peaceful gatherings became violent and tapped into widespread anti-government sentiment.
The protests, which were organised online and mostly by young Gen-Z Kenyans, have thrown Ruto’s administration into the deepest crisis of his two-year presidency, compelling him to reject the finance bill, including the tax increases.
In the most recent effort to defuse tensions, Ruto fired all cabinet ministers, including the attorney general, with the exception of Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
However, while some applauded the statement, some young Kenyans were dissatisfied with Ruto’s failure to deliver on his 2022 election pledge to generate jobs and improve their fortunes.
Hyrence Mwangi, 25, stated, “We will be back on the streets until Ruto goes. He has wasted two years in office travelling and telling lies.”
The initial peaceful protest quickly deteriorated as police opened fire on people who invaded parliament, ransacking the partially burned complex.
While large-scale public protests have decreased, animosity against the administration has lingered, notably towards the police, with rights groups reporting that 39 people were killed in the demonstrations.
“When we first went to the streets, Ruto dismissed us as a bunch of hired goons and criminals, only to come later and start saying he will make changes; we can’t trust him,” said 27-year-old Jackson Rotich.
A law student, Melisa Agufana, 24, said she wanted to “thank the president for listening,” adding that ministers had “wasted two years doing nothing apart from being driven around with our national flag.”
Analysts believe the move offered the possibility of a fresh start but warned of further risks.
“The challenge that Ruto now faces is forming a new cabinet that includes various vested interests while simultaneously calming popular anger,” Gabrielle Lynch, professor of comparative politics at the University of Warwick, told AFP.
Ruto promised sharp cuts to government expenditure last week, including travel and renovation costs, and indicated he would borrow more to pay for some services, despite Kenya’s large foreign debt, which amounts to about 70% of GDP.
The situation prompted US-based Moody’s to cut Kenya’s debt rating deeper into junk territory, warning of a bleak prognosis that will make borrowing even more expensive for the cash-strapped government.
On Thursday, 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,” without elaborating further.
