Hours after suspending salary increment for lawmakers and ministers, Kenyan President Ruto scraps budget for First Lady’s office, dissolves 40 agencies amidst protest

Kenya’s President William Ruto has taken a decisive step, scrapping the budget for the offices of Kenya’s first and second ladies after nationwide protests.

President Ruto revealed this in a live broadcast on Friday, July 5, 2024.

“The operations of the office of the first lady, second lady and the wife of the prime cabinet will be removed.

In keeping up with the austerity measures we promised, 47 State corporations with overlapping and duplicating functions to be dissolved and affected staff to be transferred to other ministries,” Mr Ruto said.

According to the Kenyan president, all non-essential travel by state and public officers “is hereby suspended,” and “no state officer or public servant will participate in Harambee.”