The ongoing protest in Kenya could be said to be having a serious effect on the administration of President William Ruto as he has taken decisive measures to cut down the cost of governance in the country.
As part of the efforts to calm the angry protesting youths in the country, Ruto on Friday, took a holistic measure, abolishing the budget for the offices of Kenya’s first and second ladies.
He announced this in a live broadcast on Friday.
Ruto also dissolved 47 agencies, suspending non-essential travels for officials.
President Ruto said “the number of advisors in government by 50% immediately.”
“The operations of the office of the first lady, second lady and the wife of the prime cabinet will be removed,” Mr Ruto added.
According to the Kenyan president, all non-essential travel by state and public officers “is hereby suspended,” and “no state officer or public servant will participate in harambee.”
“In keeping up with the austerity measures we promised, 47 State corporations with overlapping and duplicating functions to be dissolved and affected staff to be transferred to other ministries”, he added.
Recall that for three straight weeks, protesters marched on the streets of Kenya, disrupting commercial activities for the third week since the protests against the Finance Bill broke out on June 18.
However, the protests took a drastic dimension as protesters occupied the parliament, defying police’s teargas, water cannons and live bullets.
Footages of police opening live rounds on protesters, live bullet shells, and corpses of protesters flood the internet from Kenya, sparking global outrage against Mr Ruto, who, last Wednesday, announced the withdrawal of the bill.
Also, right group, Amnesty International, accused Mr Ruto of drafting snipers to shoot down protesters, calling for his trial at the International Criminal Court.
Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reported that 39 were killed, hundreds injured, and over 30 enforced disappearances were recorded while lamenting police used “excessive and disproportionate force” on protesters.
