Kenya: Ruto Nominates Opposition Members to Cabinet

After nominating an initial 11 cabinet members for a proposed broad-based government in the aftermath of nationwide protests Kenyan President William Ruto has announced his nomination of four members of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). Five of the 11 were from Ruto's previous cabinet, which was dissolved in the aftermath of deadly protests against a controversial finance bill..The ODM, led by Raila Odinga, has repeatedly pushed back against Ruto's proposed broad-based government, labeling the move a 'cosmetic' fix, with Odinga backing his secretary general Edwin Sifuna, who "issued a stern warning to ODM members urging them not to join President William Ruto's regime.".What You Need to Know.In a first by the Ruto government, four posts were handed to the opposition, with 2008 being the last time an opposition member served in government..The nominations, which are subject to parliamentary approval are as follows:.John Mbadi (ODM) to Cabinent Secretary of the National Treasury,.Opiyo Wandayi (ODM) to the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum,.Ali Hassan Joho (ODM) to the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs,.Wycliffe Oparanya (ODM) to the Ministry of Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development..The attempts to form a broad-based government continue as protests, initially formed to call for the termination of an IMF-backed finance bill, have morphed into wider anti-Ruto and anti-government movements and enter their sixth week..An approximate 50 protestors have been killed since the protests began in mid-June, as security services fired live rounds to disperse protestors who stormed Nairobi's parliament building and set a section of it alight..And despite attempts to engage the Kenyan youth on social media platforms such as X, the same platform where the protests are organized, the protests show no sign of slowing down..In a statement released today by Azimo TV, the press service for the country's opposition alliance, which the ODM forms part of, seven issues requiring government attention were outlined..Moreover, the statement noted the words of ODM Secretary General, Edwin Sifuna, who claimed that "the party [ODM] had not endorsed any member to be appointed to the cabinet. [And] any member seeking such appointments are completely on doing so on their own and against the ODM's position.".So, What Now?.From increasing calls for President Ruto to step down, with attempts by the President to hear the concerns of key actors appearing to be failing, coupled with the negative response to the broad-based government by the country's largest opposition party, it appears that much reform is required to restore calm in the nation..Calls for Ruto to step down serve the interests of the ODM and the wider Azimo alliance and is likely the reasoning behind their disinterest in joining the broad-based government..The drivers of the current societal disunity began with the finance bill, which was proposed in an attempt to lessen Kenya's public debt through tax increases. And while heightened taxes would disadvantage much of the Kenyan population in the short term, the overrall positive effect of the bill on the wider Kenyan economy would likely offset the negatives in the long run..However, in hearing the calls of the nation's youthful population, Ruto withdrew the bill but pushed Kenya's credit rating into 'junk' level. Political disunity, stoked by opposition party leaders such as Raila Odinga, will likely lead to a political and economic impasse in the coming weeks.