Karua dismisses Ruto’s Cabinet shake-up as a 'diversionary tactic'

Narc-Kenya party leader Martha Karua has criticised President William Ruto for allegedly disregarding the demands raised by Kenyans during the recent anti-government demonstrations.

Speaking on a live interview on Citizen TV's ‘The Explainer’ show on Tuesday, the 'Iron Lady' took issue with President Ruto's decision to dismiss his entire Cabinet and later announce a list of new ministerial nominees, some of whom were retained from the previous administration.

Karua labeled the move a diversionary tactic employed by the Head of State to undermine the gains made by Kenyans following the anti-government protests.

"The Cabinet nominations are a diversionary tactic. Ruto got the message that the people want him to go and want a fresh start. His mandate was literally withdrawn. He (Ruto) then goes ahead to nominate (a new) Cabinet," said Karua.

Karua similarly poked holes into the Cabinet nominees' vetting sessions held last week, describing them as being conducted by a 'circus' Parliamentary committee that seemingly appears to be in Ruto's pocket.

"The vetting became a circus in Parliament; another discredited institution. The message is that this is more of the same, nothing has changed, nothing will change and that the regime is tone deaf to the demands of Kenyans, as fronted by the Gen Z," she said.

Following the nomination of four-opposition allied members to President Ruto's new Cabinet, Karua's Narc-Kenya party in late July formally expressed its interest to exit the opposition Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition.

Ruto recommended ODM Chair and Nominated MP John Mbadi to lead the Treasury ministry and National Assembly Minority Leader and Ugunja MP James Opiyo Wandayi to oversee the Energy docket.

He similarly nominated former Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho to lead the Ministry of Mining and Blue Economy, and former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya to head the Ministry of Cooperatives and MSMEs Development.

The nominations threw the opposition in disarray despite past fervent statements that they are not desperate to join the Kenya Kwanza administration.

NARC-Kenya was among Azimio parties – including Wiper, Jubilee, DAP-K, and PNU – that said they had no plans of joining the government, terming it as a means of betrayal to the Kenyan people.

Narc-Kenya's Acting Secretary General Asha Bashir made the announcement of the party’s interest to exit the opposition political faction to Azimio Secretariat Secretary General Junet Mohamed in a letter dated July 25, 2024.

Ms. Bashir, in the letter, cited “prevailing political developments” as one of the reasons for the party’s imminent exit from the opposition political faction.

“Kindly take note that our stay in Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition is not tenable due to the prevailing political developments,” she said in the letter.

“As NARC Kenya by way of this letter, we are giving notice to exit the Coalition as stipulated in the exit clause (s) in the Coalition Agreement. This notice is effective from the date of this letter.”