By Brian Okoth
President William Ruto on Thursday announced the sacking of his entire cabinet except the Minister for Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi.
Ruto said: "Upon reflection, listening keenly to what the people of Kenya have said and after a holistic appraisal of the performance of my cabinet and its achievements and challenges, I have, in line with the powers given to me by the constitution, decided to dismiss with immediate effect all the cabinet secretaries and the attorney-general from the cabinet of the Republic of Kenya except the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs (Musalia Mudavadi)."
On July 5, after announcing a raft of cost-cutting measures, including the scrapping of budgets for the office of the first lady, as well as that of the deputy president's spouse, Ruto said government changes were looming.
Kenyans, who shot down a bill proposing new taxes, had demanded that the president walks the talk on prudent use of public resources, as well as reorganise his government to bring on board "competent" people.
Kenyans' concerns
And shortly after making that speech on July 5, President Ruto took to X social platform, formerly Twitter, to listen to Kenyans' concerns.
What repeatedly came out from the participants was that Ruto needed to change his cabinet ministers, with some calling for a complete overhaul.
Kenyans said that a number of the ministers were misfits or unable to execute ministerial functions.
The president promised that heads would roll, and the East African nation waited with bated breath to know who would be affected by the changes.
Drops the hammer
And on Thursday, Ruto dropped the hammer on his 21 ministers.
Kenya's constitution, which was adopted in 2010, sets the minimum number of cabinet ministers at 14, and the maximum at 22.
In the country, ministers are officially referred to as cabinet secretaries.
Ruto's government, which was first unveiled in late September 2022, had 22 ministers until Thursday, July 11.
'Technical expertise and political acceptability'
The constitution gives the president powers to nominate a minister, who must thereafter get parliamentary approval before taking the oath of office.
The law does not say much about specific qualifications of a cabinet minister, apart from they should not be members of parliament, or should not act in a way that demeans the office they hold.
Katiba Institute, a non-governmental legal body in Kenya, however says ministers should have technical expertise and political acceptability.
Now, taking a look at Ruto's immediate former cabinet, 17 out of 22 had a political background.
Questions over suitability
And it is widely said he appointed them to cabinet for helping him in presidential campaigns ahead of August 2022 elections.
But some of them had faced questions over their suitability, including education, public conduct, alleged crime history, among other concerns.
A June 2024 survey done by a Kenyan opinion poll company showed that the sampled respondents ranked Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki as the best performing minister, with an approval score of 60%. Most ministers scored below 50%.
At least five other opinion polls in the past took a similar pattern.
'Scanty information'
In August 2023, Ruto expressed concern that most of his ministers were unaware of their duties.
"Many of you (ministers), the people I speak to, don't even know what is going on in your ministries, or departments. You have very scanty information. The moment I know more than you in your ministry, then you must begin to understand that something is very wrong," Ruto said.
"How do you run a ministry, or a department, or a parastatal if you have no information? That is the highest level of incompetence."
During his appearance on X on July 5, 2024, Ruto said he would address the concerns Kenyans had raised about his cabinet composition and the members' conduct.
But, who are the 21 men and women who have faced the axe in Ruto's government?
Interior ministry
Kithure Kindiki, a lawyer by profession and former senator of the Eastern Kenya county of Tharaka-Nithi, was the minister of interior.
The 51-year-old had been tasked with supervising a ministry in charge of Kenya's security, immigration as well as its security operations abroad, such as the police deployment to the Caribbean nation, Haiti.
Education
Ezekiel Machogu, the now former minister in charge of education, was previously a member of parliament representing the people of Nyaribari Masaba constituency in Western Kenya.
The 68-year-old was tasked with overseeing Kenya's new education curriculum, the competency-based curriculum, which places emphasis on formal learning as well as talent development.
Public service
Moses Kuria, a former member of parliament for the Central Kenya constituency of Gatundu South, was in charge of public service ministry after being moved from trade ministry.
The man in his 50s often faced accusations of using foul language on his political opponents as well as Kenyan citizens. He was arraigned a couple of times over the allegations but was acquitted for lack of evidence.
Health
Susan Nakhumicha was the minister in charge of health. She had not held a major public office until her appointment to the ministry in September 2022.
She faced the headache of striking doctors, as well as the demand for the hiring of intern doctors.
Transport
Kipchumba Murkomen, a former senator of the Rift Valley county of Elgeyo-Marakwet, was the minister in charge of transport.
The man in his mid-40s often faced Kenyans' wrath over the dilapidated state of the roof of Kenya's main airport, the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). On several occasions, the roof of JKIA was caught on tape leaking uncontrollably during heavy rainfall. Power blackouts at the facility also blighted Murkomen's credentials.
Energy
Davis Chirchir was the man in charge of Kenya's electricity and energy resources as minister.
Regular power blackouts, which affected critical facilities such as hospitals, schools, banking halls, and airports, left him badly exposed.
Tourism
Alfred Mutua, a former governor of the Eastern Kenya county of Machakos, was the minister in charge of tourism. Prior to that, he had served as the foreign affairs minister.
It was during his tenure as foreign affairs minister that he had his fingers burned. How he handled the matter of police deployment to Haiti, including unaligned government communication, left the president with no choice but to transfer him.
Environment
Soipan Tuya, a trained lawyer and former nominated senator, was the minister of environment. She was largely a quiet cabinet secretary, with her docket attracting minimal scrutiny.
Labour
Florence Bore, a former Woman Representative in Kenya's National Assembly for the Rift Valley county of Kericho, was the minister in charge of labour.
She faced questions over the mistreatment of Kenyan domestic workers in the Middle East, as well as her scandal over a house worth hundreds of thousands of US dollars in the capital Nairobi.
Gender
Aisha Jumwa, a former member of parliament from Kenya's coast, was the minister in charge of gender affairs. Her education credentials were called into question, as well as her public conduct.
She had been accused of involvement in the killing of an opponent's supporter in October 2019. In December 2022, a Kenyan court cleared her of the allegations over lack of evidence.
Agriculture
Mithika Linturi, a former senator of the Eastern Kenya county of Meru, was in charge of the important agriculture ministry. His education was called into question, as well as his integrity.
A fake fertiliser scandal that saw many Kenyans receive substandard fertiliser in April 2024 was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Finance
Njuguna Ndung'u, the former governor of Kenya's central bank, was in charge of the powerful finance ministry that drew the contentious finance bill that sparked deadly protests recently.
Under his watch, the cost of living crisis worsened, with more Kenyans pushing for pro-people tax policies.
Sports
Ababu Namwamba, a former lawmaker from Western Kenya, is the man President Ruto entrusted with delivering proper hosting of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament that will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
He often faced accusations of neglecting the welfare of Kenyan sportspeople, especially those representing the country in competitions abroad.
Lands
Alice Wahome, a former member of parliament for the Central Kenya constituency of Kandara, was the minister in charge of lands. Prior to that, she was in the water ministry.
Wahome was a fierce debater in parliament, but adopted a quiet demeanour during her time in cabinet.
Water
Zachariah Njeru, a former lawmaker from the Rift Valley county of Nakuru, served as Kenya's water minister. Prior to that, he was the minister in charge of lands. Just like Wahome, his time in cabinet was largely quiet.
Cooperatives
Simon Chelugui was in charge of the cooperatives ministry, the docket that rolled out President Ruto's pet-project, the Hustler Fund; a financial kitty aimed at financing small-and-medium-scale businesses.
Chelugui was the only minister Ruto inherited from the government of his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta.
Mining
Salim Mvurya, a former two-term governor of Kenya's coastal county of Kwale, was the minister in charge of mining in President Ruto's cabinet.
He was largely a quiet minister.
ICT
Eliud Owalo was the man Ruto tasked with Kenya's information and communications technology ministry.
The former politician faced accusations of prioritising projects in his homeland region of Nyanza in Western Kenya.
Defence
Aden Duale, a former member of parliament, was in charge of Kenya's defence ministry. He was the one who signed an executive order that deployed the military to quell the recent anti-tax hike protests. A section of Kenyans accused him of arrogance, but he denied the claims.
East African Community
Peninah Malonza, the former deputy governor of Eastern Kenya's county of Kitui, was in charge of the East African Community (EAC) ministry. Her role entailed ensuring seamless cooperation with other EAC member countries.
She was the only minister Kenya's parliament had raised major questions over her suitability, but she eventually prevailed during vetting. Malonza previously served as tourism minister in Ruto's cabinet.
Trade
Rebecca Miano, the former chief executive officer of Kenyan power generation company KenGen, was the minister in charge of trade. Previously, she served as East African Community minister in Ruto's government.
Attorney-general
Justin Muturi, a former lawmaker and ex-speaker of Kenya's National Assembly, was the attorney-general of Kenya until Ruto's July 11 announcement.
After firing his 21 ministers and the attorney-general, Ruto said he "will immediately engage in extensive consultations across different sectors and political formations, with the aim of setting up a broad-based government."
Ruto's cabinet currently has himself, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi, and Secretary to the Cabinet Mercy Wanjau.
The president said until new ministers assume office, "the operations of government will continue uninterrupted under the guidance of principal secretaries and other relevant officials."
➤ Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.
