President William Ruto asked the church in Ndaragua to pray for him on Sunday as he faces a challenging week. The number of human remains being retrieved from the Mukuru kwa Njenga dump site continues to rise, coinciding with the country’s anticipation of a new cabinet and the commencement of his promised talks.
On Sunday, emotions were high in Kware after residents discovered more body parts stuffed in gunny bags, leading to increased anger among Gen Z, who quickly associated the bodies with victims of alleged security team actions.
Kenyans are closely watching how President Ruto will address the killings, particularly of young individuals, with over eight female bodies aged between 18-30 having been retrieved in Kware.
The President has instructed the National Police Service, the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI), and other relevant bodies to expedite investigations. He condemned the acts and emphasized that those found responsible must face the full force of the law.
“There is no justification for any Kenyan to lose their life, we are a democratic country guided by the rule of law, those involved in mysterious killings in Nairobi and any other part of the country will be held to account, I can assure the country that the investigation agencies have swung to action,” said Ruto.
Generation Z has vowed to carry out countrywide demonstrations to condemn the killing of peaceful protesters by the police as they agitated for good governance as enshrined in the constitution. It remains to be seen how these protests will unfold, with the President’s allies accusing unnamed individuals of sponsoring the demonstrations with the aim of eventually overthrowing his government.
This week, the country also awaits President Ruto’s word on a six-day multi-sectoral forum dialogue focusing on various issues affecting Kenyans. These issues include bad governance, youth unemployment, ballooning public debt, corruption, and tribalism.
“We have agreed that we have to bring the country together, that is why we will be having a multi sectoral forum dialogue bringing together 150 participants with 50 of them being youths while 100 of them will come from the religious community, civil society, political parties and professional groups,” said Ruto last week
President Ruto announced that the upcoming forum is expected to generate proposals to move the country forward following weeks of protests by Generation Z. The promised talks have received support from opposition leader Raila Odinga, who joined Ruto during the occasion of his assenting to the IEBC law.
However, Raila has faced sharp criticism from Generation Z and within the Azimio ranks, with Kenya’s youth dismissing him as no longer representing their interests and suggesting he stay away. Consequently, Raila has taken a step back and shown a lackluster approach to the talks.
Following Ruto’s recent decision to dissolve his cabinet, save for the Prime Cabinet Secretary and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the country anticipates the announcement of a new, lean, and efficient cabinet of around 15 members this week. Ruto aims to form a professional cabinet that represents the face of Kenya and fulfills his campaign promises to address the concerns of citizens dissatisfied with the previous cabinet.
On Sunday in Ndaragua, the president called on the church to pray for him as he embarks on appointing a new cabinet. Ruto sought the approval of the congregants for his intended formation of another government, hinting at the inclusion of other political factions and stakeholders.
According to close allies of the president, he is expected to retain at least five members of the current cabinet who have displayed competence, though it is unclear whether they will remain in their previous roles or be assigned new ones.
In the previous Cabinet formation, President Ruto demonstrated loyalty to some of his allies who supported him during the last election by giving them lucrative dockets. However, some of these appointments led to mismanagement, causing an uproar among Kenyans.
Reliable sources close to the Presidency indicate that former Cabinet Secretaries Kithure Kindiki (Interior), Aden Duale (Defence), Rebecca Miano (Trade), and Soipan Tuya (Environment) are expected to be reappointed in the new Cabinet lineup, as the President is reportedly satisfied with their performance.
Additionally, ODM Deputy Leaders Wycliffe Oparanya and Hassan Joho, who previously served as Governors of Kakamega and Mombasa respectively, are expected to be named in the new Cabinet lineup. These appointments are said to be influenced by their close alliance with ODM Party Leader Raila Odinga.
