Over two-thirds of Kenyans support cabinet dissolution – TIFA poll

A majority of Kenyans support President William Ruto's move to dissolve the Cabinet. In a new survey by Trends and Insights For Africa (TIFA) released on Thursday, 67 per cent of Kenyans support the President's action, while only an overall 13 per cent do not support the dissolution.

"The strong overall support for President Ruto's decision to dissolve the cabinet reflects a widespread desire for governmental change and reform," reads the survey.

Tifa also noted that majority of the respondents who supported the dissolution of the cabinet were affiliated with Kenya Kwanza, which were 90 per cent of those interviewed.

The strong support for cabinet dissolution among Kenya Kwanza affiliates, according to Tifa, suggests a perceived disconnect between the cabinet's actions and the expectations of their political supporters.

Azimio respondents who supported the cabinet's dismissal were 86 per cent, while those who did not identify with a political party were 83 per cent.

Tifa also highlights that slightly above half of Kenyans interviewed said that none of the cabinet secretaries should have been retained.

"The general consensus against retaining any Cabinet Secretaries indicates a widespread desire for comprehensive governmental change and new leadership," reads the survey.

Only 38 per cent suggested that President Ruto would retain a few Cabinet Secretaries, while eight per cent opined that all 21 CSs should have been retained.

Still, according to the survey, the majority of Kenyans have opposed the reappointment of the sacked Cabinet Secretaries.

Only 40 per cent of Kenyans felt that performing Cabinet Secretaries should be re-appointed.

The poll was conducted on July 16 and July 17, 2024 with a sample size of 1,507.

The quantitative interviews were conducted through telephonic interviews at the household level.

There was a margin error of +/- 2.52 per cent during the research.

The sample was distributed across the counties proportionate to population size.

President Ruto on July 11, 2024 sacked all his cabinet secretaries and the Attorney General, except for Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi who also serves as the Foreign Affairs CS.

Ruto said he had resolved to dissolve his Cabinet "upon reflection, listening keenly to what the people of Kenya have said and after a holistic appraisal of the performance of the cabinet and its achievements and challenges.

The sacking of the cabinet came at a time when Kenya had experienced three weeks of unrest with the youth protesting against the Finance Bill, 2024 and the government, and as a result, 50 people have died.

President Ruto on Sunday asked Kenyans to pray for him as he asserted his commitment to applying scrutiny in his search for a new cabinet days after dismissing his CSs.

"Pray for me that I get employees who will help me to actualize the promises I gave you. You want me to build a new government that will unite the entire nation? I will plan slowly I see who will help me he posed to the crowd," he said.

The country now awaits for Ruto to announce his second cabinet as he awaits to mark two years in office since he was sworn in as President in September.