Tension erupted in Nairobi on Thursday as Kenyan President, William Ruto, terminated the appointment of his ministers amid ongoing nationwide protests in the country.
He also dismissed the attorney general but said the office of the deputy president was not affected.
The youth-led protests against planned tax hikes started peacefully but turned violent, killing at least 39 people in clashes with the police last month. Some protesters briefly stormed parliament, before Ruto abandoned the new taxes.
Ruto in a televised address
to the nation said: “I will immediately engage in extensive consultations across different sectors and political formations and other Kenyans, both in public and private, with the aim of setting up a broad-based government,”
He also added that he would announce additional measures later.
The sweeping cabinet changes were what Kenyans have been asking for, veteran anti-corruption activist John Githongo told Reuters.
“Let us see what happens now if the new ministers deal with big issues around corruption and just the arrogance and excess of his administration and the fact that a lot of Kenyans died during the demonstrations. “Hopefully this should temporarily calm things.”
Ruto has been caught between the demands of lenders such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to cut deficits and a hard-pressed population reeling from the rising cost of living.
Last week he proposed spending cuts and additional borrowing in roughly equal measures to fill the nearly $2.7 billion budget hole caused by the withdrawal of the tax hikes.
Analysts have said the tax rollback means Kenya is likely to miss IMF targets although the government does not have debts that are due.
The budget deficit is now projected at 4.6% of gross domestic product in the fiscal year that started on July 1.
