Kenya’s president unveils new Cabinet

Kenya’s new President William Ruto unveiled his cabinet on Tuesday. The 22-minister government includes a former Central Bank of Kenya Governor to the Finance Ministry.

“I am proud to announce the men and women who will serve in the government,” the Kenyan president William Ruto said Tuesday.

While William Ruto pledged during the campaign to bring parity into his government, only seven women have been appointed, out of a total of 22 ministers.

Mr. Ruto, 55, who presented himself during the campaign as the candidate of the “hustlers” and announced that he wanted to revive the economy, appointed Njuguna Ndung’u, former Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya, as Minister of Finance.

Upcoming challenges
Kenya may be the fastest growing economy in East Africa, but it is facing major challenges, starting with soaring fuel and commodity prices.

Inflation hit 8.5% in August, a five-year high, combined with a fall in the Kenyan shilling, the national currency. Since 2013, the country’s debt has increased six fold.

Abraham Kithure Kindiki, who defended Mr. Ruto in the country’s Supreme Court after appeals filed by his closest contender Raila Odinga, has been appointed to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Aden Barre Duale has been appointed to the Ministry of Defence.

Former Vice President Musalia Mudavadi named Prime Cabinet Secretary.

Simon Chelugi is the only minister who served under former President Uhuru Kenyatta to be extended by the new head of state, moving from the Ministry of Labour to the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises.

The Supreme Court confirmed on September 5, nearly a month after the August 9 election, the victory of Mr. Ruto, with a lead of about 233,000 votes (out of 14 million votes) over Raila Odinga, a historic figure in Kenyan politics who had cried fraud.