Kenya’s President William Ruto has included four members of the main opposition party in his newly restructured Cabinet. This move aims to create a more inclusive government in response to the governance issues highlighted by recent deadly protests.
On Wednesday, Ruto appointed the minority leader in parliament and the chairman of Raila Odinga’s party despite a rift within the opposition coalition, which has seen some factions withdraw from government negotiations.
The protests, sparked by a controversial tax bill amid soaring living costs, have resulted in numerous fatalities, the dismissal of most of Ruto’s Cabinet, and calls for his resignation. Odinga, who previously advocated for dialogue to resolve the unrest, denied accusations of being bribed to join Ruto’s administration. He reaffirmed his support for the protesters and insisted that genuine negotiations could only begin once the president meets the demonstrators’ demands.
Odinga’s party has stated that there are no current negotiations for joining Ruto’s government and warned members that pursuing ministerial positions would go against the party’s stance.
While the opposition coalition does not lead the protests, it supports the demonstrators, echoing their calls for better governance—issues that align with the opposition’s past proposals.
Ruto has vowed to address corruption and lavish spending amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. In response to the Cabinet appointments, activist Hanifa Aden declared, “We are the new opposition.”
Since June 18, protests have claimed at least 50 lives and left 413 people injured, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.