Kenya’s Ruto announces partial cabinet amid mass protests

President William Ruto announces 11 appointments, including six members of the cabinet that was dismissed last week.

Kenyan President William Ruto has announced a partial cabinet after weeks of antigovernment protests.

In a televised address on Friday, Ruto announced 11 appointments, which include six members from the previous cabinet.

The East African nation has been rocked by a month of protests that began as peaceful rallies against tax hikes but have evolved into a wider antigovernment campaign calling for Ruto to go.

At least 50 people have died since the protests began on June 18, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.

Last week, Ruto fired almost his entire cabinet, one in a series of measures aimed at placating the demonstrators, but protests also took place this week.

Ruto said in his address that the past month’s events have caused “tremendous anxiety, concern and uncertainty”.

“The crisis has presented us with a great opportunity as a nation to craft a broad-based and inclusive citizen coalition for national transformation and progress made up of Kenyans from all walks of life,” Ruto said in his address.

“Consequently, I have started the process of forming a new broad-based cabinet to assist in driving the urgently needed and irreversible transformation of our country.”

The ministers of the interior, defence, environment and lands were reappointed.

Kithure Kindiki, the head of the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, is also in charge of Kenya’s police force, which is currently facing scrutiny for its response to the protests.

The nominations, which must be approved by parliament, also include Kenya’s first female attorney general.

But activists quickly rejected Ruto’s appointments and posted images with “Rejected” written over the list.

The opposition Azimio coalition slammed Ruto’s announcement as a “cosmetic” change and said it would not join a government of national unity led by Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza.

“This is a betrayal of the Kenyan people, particularly the Gen Z and millennials who have paid the ultimate price to rid this country of the disastrous Kenya Kwanza regime,” it said in a statement.

Protesters have rejected the idea of a unity government, saying a deal between rival parties would only maintain a tradition in Kenyan politics of leaders co-opting the opposition with jobs and perks while the population sees no benefits.