By Tajeu Shadrack Nkapapa
President William Ruto took an unexpected move to dissolve his entire cabinet on Thursday afternoon 11th July, 2024 after two weeks of anti-government protest that took in major towns across the nation.
In a press briefing at State House, Nairobi the President announced that after listening keenly to the people of Kenya, and reviewing the performance of his administration he resolved to dissolve the cabinet and promised to consult across public and private sectors before forming the next government.
This move is the second event in the history of Kenya’s politics following the third President Emilio Mwai Kibaki who also sacked his Cabinet Ministers and their Assistants on 23rd November 2005 after the results of the referendum where the government was defeated with the proposed draft constitution.
During the 2005 referendum, the majority of Kenyans rejected the draft constitution that the NARC government supported.
Despite an extensive campaign for the draft Constitution, Mwai Kibaki unsuccessful persuaded Kenyans to support the draft Constitution. Critics argued that the former president’s efforts were aimed at alleviating the tension that followed the 2002 elections.
From November 23rd 2005, the then head of Press Service in the Office of the President Mr. Kabira announced that the President of Kenya alongside the then Vice President Hon. Moody Awori and Permanent Secretaries will run the operations of the government until the new cabinet is formed.
Former President Mwai Kibaki ran the government for two weeks without Cabinet Ministers until the second of week of December, 2005 when he named his Cabinet again.
The same scenario was also reflected in President Ruto’s speech on Thursday when he directed all government Ministries to run their normal operations with the guidance of the principal secretaries and other state officials till the next Cabinet is formed.
Kenyans expect the President to name his new Cabinet in the next few couples of weeks to replace the sacked Cabinet Secretaries.
Gen Z have raised their voices high, demanding that they need to see new faces in the formation of the next cabinet and that the members should be appointed based on professionalism and merits.