by Nurat Uthman
Kenyan President William Ruto on Wednesday appointed Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi as “acting cabinet secretary” for all ministries, nearly a week after dismissing almost his entire cabinet in an attempt to defuse deadly anti-government rallies.
The East African nation was left reeling after peaceful rallies last month over steep tax increases spiralled into violence that left dozens killed, and Ruto facing the most serious crisis of his presidency.
Scrambling to contain the fallout, he has embarked on a series of measures, including scrapping the finance bill containing the tax hikes, announcing government cuts, and last week dismissing almost all of his cabinet.
“Musalia Mudavadi… is assigned as the Acting Cabinet Secretary in all vacant Ministerial Portfolios,” according to a government Gazette Notice dated July 12, signed by the president, and released Wednesday.
Mudavadi, who holds the post of prime cabinet secretary and foreign minister, survived the cabinet purge on July 11 along with Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Following the resignations, 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”.
This government would, he said, help him to develop “radical programmes” to deal with the country’s huge debt burden, increase job opportunities, eliminate government waste and “slay the dragon of corruption”.
However, main opposition coalition Azimio said on Wednesday evening it would “not be part of proposed broad based or any other government”.
It said that it had considered “a people driven National Constitutional Convention as a possible pathway towards the resolution of the national crisis”.
