On Saturday, July 20, 2024, former Gender Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa faced heckling from residents of Kilifi County while addressing them. The disruption occurred after Jumwa suggested a possible return to the cabinet following her dismissal on July 11, 2024.
She mentioned that she was at peace with President William Ruto’s decision to remove her from office and expressed her openness to a possible comeback if invited.
“William Ruto does not need anyone to root for Aisha Jumwa and if it so pleases him to say that I will be among the cabinet secretaries and continue, we the people of Kilifi shall say Amen, and if he says I should should rest, we shall also say Amen because the Bible requires us to be thankful in every situation,” Jumwa noted.
Former Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa is seeking to join a group of six previous Cabinet Secretaries who have been reappointed by President William Ruto. This has sparked protests, with demonstrators pledging to continue their demonstrations on Tuesday, July 24, 2024.
The reappointed former Cabinet Secretaries include Alice Wahome (Lands), Kithure Kindiki (Interior), Davis Chirchir (Energy), Soipan Tuya (Environment), and Aden Duale (Defence).
New appointments to Ruto’s cabinet are Debra Mlongo (Health), Julius Ogamba (Education), Andrew Karanja (Agriculture and Livestock Development), Eric Muriithi (Water), and Margaret Ndungu (ICT).
There is significant dissatisfaction among Kenyans regarding Ruto’s decision to reappoint the six former Cabinet Secretaries. A TIFA poll revealed that 90 percent of government supporters favored the dismissal of the previous Cabinet Secretaries, highlighting a disconnect between their actions and the expectations of their supporters.
Regional support for the dismissal varied, with the highest in Nairobi (74%) and the lowest in the Coast region (53%). The poll also showed that more than half of Kenyans prefer that the dismissed Cabinet Secretaries not be retained in the new broad-based government promised by Ruto.
