Former Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has expressed his gratitude and reflections following President William Ruto's decision to dissolve the Cabinet.
President Ruto on Thursday dismissed all Cabinet Secretaries retaining only the Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi who is also in charge of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs.
In a heartfelt message, Duale extended his gratitude to President Ruto for the trust placed in him to serve as the Defence Cabinet Secretary in the inaugural Kenya Kwanza Administration.
Reflecting on his tenure and the opportunity to serve the nation, Duale expressed honour and indebtedness to both the president and the people of Kenya.
Duale also drew upon his faith, quoting the Quran to underscore his acceptance of the changes and trust in divine plans.
“As the Quran says, ‘But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners’ (Quran 8:30),” he remarked.
Similarly, former Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya responded to the Cabinet dissolution with a message of gratitude and support for the President’s decision.
"Anything that paves the way for the best interest of our nation, at this point in time, is preeminent," Tuya stated.
She thanked President Ruto for the privilege of serving in her role for the past 21 months.
"I most sincerely thank the president for the privilege, honour and opportunity to serve my country," she added.
Former Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage, Aisha Jumwa, also shared her reaction, expressing her gratitude for the opportunity to serve.
"It was such an honour to serve as a Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage under the leadership of President William Ruto.
"I am glad that I got the chance to serve the people of our great nation. Thank you, Mr. President, and I wish you well," Jumwa stated.
President Ruto's decision to overhaul the Cabinet comes amid efforts to streamline government operations and address fiscal challenges.
In his statement, the president highlighted the administration’s achievements over the past two years, including the Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which saw significant progress in increasing food production, stabilizing the economy, and implementing radical changes in the education sector.
However, recent public disapproval of his government, including the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024, necessitated a review and reorganisation of the Cabinet, the budget and fiscal management plan.
"I will immediately engage in extensive consultations across different sectors and political formations," President Ruto stated, "with the aim of setting up a broad-based government that will assist me in accelerating and expediting the necessary, urgent and irreversible implementation of radical programs to deal with the burden of debt, raising domestic resources, expanding job opportunities, eliminating wastage, and unnecessary duplication of government agencies."
The president assured that government operations would continue uninterrupted under the guidance of principal secretaries and other relevant officials during this transition period.