Politics

President Ruto swears in new Kenyan cabinet two months after election victory

Published

2 years ago

October 28, 2022

Kenyan President, William Ruto, on Thursday, swore in his cabinet two months after winning a tightly run election that saw him defeat former Prime Minister and the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition candidate, Raila Odinga.

The 22-member cabinet have now been saddled with the task of tackling the rising cost of living and other economic crisis that has continued to bedevil the East African powerhouse, which was the the bedrock of Ruto’s election campaign manifesto.

The ministers were unanimously approved by parliament Wednesday after a committee which vetted them approved all but one of the nominees sent in by the President.

While performing the swearing-in ceremony in Nairobi, Ruto said the ministers will have his unalloyed support to succeed.

“You will have my support because you have no other option but to succeed. Failure is not an option, we have a country to look after,” Ruto said.

Some of those who made Ruto’s cabinet include a former vice president, Musalia Mudavadi, who felt out with Odinga to pitch tents with Ruto.

Mudavadi was rewarded with the newly created position of Prime Cabinet Secretary, which will make him the most senior minister, answering directly to the president and his deputy.

A former governor, Alfred Mutua, whose party formed an alliance with Ruto, will take charge of the Foreign Ministry while Njuguna Ndung’u, a former Kenyan Central Bank governor is the new Treasurer.

Kithure Kindiki, a lawyer who served on the legal team that defended Ruto’s August election win at the Constitutional Court, will head the Interior Ministry.

Click to comment

Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.