Kenya’s Ruto Fired His Cabinet But Still Faces Mounting Crises
- William Ruto has been forced to back down on tax increases
- Ruto must rebuild trust, fix finances from place of weakness
William Ruto during a press conference at State House in Nairobi on July 11.
Photographer: Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty Iamges
In May, Kenyan President William Ruto was dining at the White House, the first African leader to be treated to a state dinner in a decade and a half — a measure of his stature as one of the continent’s most preeminent leaders.
Since then he’s presided over a brutal police crackdown on anti-tax protests that left at least 41 dead, withdrew a signature tax law that authorities argued would steady Kenya’s shaky government finances and seen Moody’s Ratings downgrade the nation’s debt. On Thursday, Ruto took the drastic step of firing almost all the members of his cabinet in a bid to address public anger over its performance.