After over a month of anti-government demonstrations, Kenyan President William Ruto on Wednesday appointed four prominent opposition politicians to a “broad-based” cabinet.
After a list of an additional ten ministers was submitted to parliament on Tuesday, Ruto announced the names of ten ministers to be part of a reformed cabinet, including four who are close to longtime opposition leader Raila Odinga.
The struggling president, who had nearly fired his entire cabinet on July 11, announced a new, partially announced lineup on July 19 that included some dismissed ministers.
“I commend the leadership of diverse orThe struggling president, who had nearly fired his entire cabinet on July 11, announced a new, partially announced lineup on July 19 that included some dismissed ministers organizations, both in the public and private sectors, including political parties, for the encouraging response to my outreach to consult on forming a broad-based government,” Ruto said on Wednesday.
“Their willingness to set aside partisan positions and interests to join a visionary partnership for the radical transformation of Kenya is a historic gesture of their patriotism.”
The four opposition nominees are John Mbadi, who was named to the Treasury, James Opiyo Wandayi for energy, Ali Joho for the Mining Ministry, and Wycliffe Oparanya for the Cooperatives Ministry.
Parliament must approve the nominations.
Five of those named Wednesday were members of the sacked cabinet.
Since late June, Ruto has undertaken a series of measures to try to contain the crisis, including scrapping deeply unpopular tax increases and pledging cuts to what many see as lavish government spending.
But rallies led largely by Gen-Z Kenyans—while much smaller than last month—have continued across the country under the hashtag #RutoMustGo, with disgruntled activists also seeking action against corruption and alleged police brutality.
