‘The terms are now different,’ Ruto says on re-appointing CSs after Cabinet dissolution

President William Ruto on Sunday defended his decision to re-appoint some of the members of his dissolved Cabinet back into various ministries despite pressure from Kenyans for a complete overhaul.

Last week, Ruto announced his second batch of Cabinet Secretary nominees since dissolving his Cabinet on July 11 after weeks of deadly anti-government protests.

Out of the revised Cabinet list he has announced so far, 11 members have been re-appointed.

During a town hall meeting with Coast region residents, Ruto said as part of his quest for “a fresh start” following weeks of anti-government demos, the re-appointed Cabinet members will now serve under what he called different terms.

“It was necessary to have a fresh start, just like I told Kenyans that we will have an inclusive government, so that even those I have given another opportunity to serve in Cabinet, they must now know that this is new, the terms are different. We may have been friends, but now, the terms are different,” Ruto said.

The President, who also included opposition politicians in the CS nominee list, further said he wanted to unite Kenyans, avoid political divisiveness and challenge the notion that the government is made up of his friends.

“I decided to form a Cabinet that has the broader face of Kenya. That is why you see some of the members of my new Cabinet coming from different political formations,” said Ruto.