Politics
Ruto Reshuffles Cabinet Before Vetting
Kenya President William Ruto has made a surprise reshuffle to his recently announced cabinet before it even went to parliament for vetting.
The news was broken by Aden Duale, the former Minister of Defense, who has been moved to the Ministry of Environment.
“I am grateful to president William Ruto for reassigning me from the Defense Ministry to the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry. I look forward to serving in my new portfolio and ensuring focus is on sustainable environmental management, combating climate change, and promoting reforestation and conservation efforts.”
The former legislator posted on X.
Aden Duale was among the lucky number that were returned in Ruto’s cabinet after the first was dismissed following demands from the weeks’ long protests against taxes.
The march against taxes soon turned into demands for accountability and better governance. The president, in response, dismissed his cabinet and announced a raft of other measures to curb government spending.
When the president announced his new cabinet on 19th July 2024, he announced an eleven-member cabinet that had some new faces, but also brought back six of the old ones. Among them was Aden Duale, in his old position as Minister of Defense.
But today, the president has replaced him with Soipan Tuya, who was in the Ministry of Environment.
Duale Disappointed
The longtime ally and friend of the President seemed displeased with the reshuffle as he wound up his post, quoting the Quran 2:216, “And it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows, but you do not know.”
The move to the Ministry of Environment removes Duale from the National Security Council, effectively Kenya’s ruling organ.
The National Security Council consists of the President, the Deputy President, Secretary for Defence, Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Secretary for Internal Security, Attorney-General, Chief of Kenya Defence Forces, Director-General of the National Intelligence Service, and Inspector-General of the Police Service.
However, it should be noted that Ruto has been a poster boy of climate financing for Africa, and Kenya has hosted various meetings on the same in a short spell of time. Ruto also appointed Professor Patrick Verkooijen, the CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation, as Chancellor of the University of Nairobi. An appointment that signaled Ruto’s direction on environmental affairs.
The appointment of Duale, a longtime ally and friend of the president could be a stronger signal towards the plans the latter has for the Environment and climate change docket, rather than a demotion of the longtime legislator, and leading light of the Kenyan Somali population.
