State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed confirmed Koome’s resignation on Friday, July 12, 2024.
Mohamed said President Ruto had accepted Koome’s decision to step aside and named the Deputy Inspector General of the Kenya Police Service as the Acting IG, pending the appointment of a new police boss.
“HIS EXCELLENCY William Samoei Ruto, Ph.D., CGH, President and Commander in Chief of the Defence Forces, has on this 12th day of July, 2024, accepted the resignation of Eng. Japheth N. Koome, MGH, as the Inspector General of the National Police Service,”
Mohamed announced.
The Kenyan Head of State also effected various changes within the senior police ranks. In the changes, Deputy Inspector General of the Administration Police Service, Noor Gabow, was redeployed the Public Service.
Koome has been under fire over excessive force used by the police during the anti-tax protests that rocked Kenya in recent weeks. At least 39 people were killed and dozens others injured during the protests witnessed in various parts of the country.
He was accused of remaining silent as police used live ammunition on protesters in the capital Nairobi. Police were also linked to abductions of young people believed to be the ringleaders of the “Gen Z” led protests.
The changes in the police service come a day after President Ruto dismissed his entire Cabinet, sparing only the Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi who doubles as Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
The decision was taken “upon reflection, and a holistic appraisal” of the Cabinet, the Kenyan Head of State said in a televised address.
He pledged to engage in “extensive consultations” to form a “broad-based” new government.
Some of the fired Cabinet Secretaries had lost public confidence due to poor performance and wastage of public resources, prompting demands for their removal from office.
Prior to this, Ruto had made several concessions including withdrawing the controversial Finance Bill 2024, which sought to raise $2.7 billion in additional taxes for the government.
The dissolution of the Cabinet is the latest in a series of actions the Kenyan Head of State has been forced to take following weeks of protests, both on social media and on the streets, led by Gen Z.
At the onset, Ruto withdrew the Controversial Finance Bill 2024 and introduced new austerity measures aimed at reducing government expenditure. He removed operational budgets for the Offices of the Spouses of the President, Deputy President and Prime Cabinet Secretary.
Days later, Ruto’s actions have come under heavy scrutiny across the political landscape with young people setting the internet ablaze and continuing their barrage against the ruling Kenya Kwanza regime.
Taking to X Spaces and other forums, some netizens termed the dissolution of the Cabinet as an act of self-preservation by the President, whom they insist bears the huge responsibility for the ‘failures’ of his government.
They also faulted the President for sparing Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, arguing that the office is unconstitutional. Mudavadi doubles as the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
“He might have fired his entire Cabinet but he still maintains the unconstitutional position of the office of the Prime CS and this is a blatant attempt at self-preservation. I do not think of this as a move of goodwill because I wouldn’t sit here and applaud a fish for swimming,” activist Kasmuel McOure said.
An X user identified as Veeana said, “It is important that even as we slash off the weeds, we uproot deep from the roots!”
Human rights activist and Senator Okiya Omtatah, also noted that “Dissolving Cabinet is not the solution”, insisting that a “fish begins rotting from the head”.
“Everything around him (Ruto) has collapsed. So you cannot say that his juniors should bear the burden. The ball stops with him and the call that President Ruto must go is a call that must be applied and as they say a fish begins rotting from the head.”
However, a section of Kenyans opined that the dissolution of the Cabinet was a good starting point to address issues raised during the recent protests. They commended the President for humbling himself and listening to the cries of Kenyans demanding accountability from the government amid the rising cost of living.
“A good start by Ruto as he has sacked all the Cabinet secretaries. What a time to be alive in Kenya. We must be heard,” opined Amos Mwango.
Some of the fired Cabinet Secretaries had lost public confidence due to poor performance and wastage of public resources, prompting demands for their removal from office.
The protesters had earlier warned President Ruto against a Cabinet reshuffle, which has in the recent past been seen as less effective in addressing incompetence among state officers.
Yesterday, he said he had resolved to dissolve his Cabinet “upon reflection, listening keenly to what the people of Kenya have said and after a holistic appraisal of the performance of the cabinet and its achievements and challenges.”
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President Ruto directed Principal Secretaries to supervise ministries as he worked on forming a broad-based government to help him achieve “urgent and irreversible” government programs.
“I will immediately engage in extensive consultations across different sectors, political formations, and other Kenyans, both in public and private, 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 the program we have,” he added.
According to Ruto, his administration aims to put in place radical measures and programs to deal with the burden of debt, explore raising domestic resources and revenues, expand job opportunities, and eliminate waste and unnecessary duplication across multiple government agencies.
“This will make the government of Kenya lean, inexpensive, effective, and efficient,” he stated.
In June, international media reported that after EU countries selected Quintin, Rwanda contacted France to inform them that Quintin would not be accepted, citing strained relations between Rwanda and Belgium as the reason.
Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Olivier Nduhungirehe told IGIHE in an exclusive interview that Rwanda never rejected the diplomat because it has no authority to do so.
“I don’t understand why people say Rwanda rejected the EU’s special envoy to the region because Rwanda is not an EU member. They are the ones to make the decision, not us, because it’s none of our business,” he stated.
Nduhungirehe explained that Rwanda merely expressed its concerns regarding Bernard Quintin, viewing him as someone who can be biased.
“We expressed our concerns regarding the candidate they had proposed, seen as biased. We established that he would be siding with Congo, which would not have made him impartial. However, this does not mean we rejected him, as we are not responsible for appointing EU envoys.”
Minister Nduhungirehe’s remarks came shortly after EU Commission spokesperson Eric Mamer disclosed that Rwanda had not interfered with the decision to send the diplomat.
The strained relationship between Rwanda and Belgium stems from Brussels’ refusal to accept Vincent Karega, who was appointed as Rwanda’s Ambassador, and Belgium’s clear bias, siding with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebel group.
Minister Nduhungirehe noted that since Belgium rejected Vincent Karega, Rwanda remains firm in its decision not to send another ambassador to Belgium.
He stated, “There have been no further discussions regarding the rejection of Ambassador Karega. We have made it clear that he is the one we nominated as Rwanda’s Ambassador to Belgium, and we will not send another. This is where we stand now.”
In September 2023, President Kagame announced that Belgium never provided reasonable explanations to Rwanda after rejecting Ambassador Vincent Karega and that Rwanda was not considering sending another candidate.
He said that after a long wait for Vincent Karega’s acceptance, Belgian authorities asked Rwanda to replace him with someone else.
President Kagame further explained that Rwanda later understood that Belgium’s decision was influenced by pressure from the Congolese government rather than any other reason and emphasized the importance of receiving clear explanations in such situations.
Ministers in charge of Foreign Affairs of Rwanda and Burundi are expected to meet soon to further discuss issues concerning bilateral diplomatic relations but they say there is no need for a mediator. Both Governments are determined to resolve their disputes amicably.
A recently concluded retreat which brought together Ministers from eight East African Community (EAC) member states adopted a resolution to have this meeting but representatives from both countries say an agreement was reached even before the retreat occurred.
In an interview with IGIHE, Foreign Affairs Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe explained that before the retreat began, his team had met with Burundi counterpart Albert Shingiro and agreed that both Governments would discuss and resolve the issue themselves.
“We didn’t even extensively discuss the issue between Rwanda and Burundi at the meeting because before it started, we spoke with Minister Albert Shingiro, and agreed that our countries would discuss our issues directly, without needing a mediator, as both countries share the same language and culture. We agreed to meet soon to resolve these issues,” he said.
According to Nduhungirehe, the meeting prior to the retreat was held on July 6, 2024, and it was also attended by Minister of State in charge of Regional Cooperation, Gen (Rtd) James Kabarebe.
Minister Nduhungirehe explained that the decision for representatives of the two countries to meet was communicated to the other ministers attending the retreat, who then agreed it would take place before October 31, 2024, as announced by the office of the EAC Secretary-General.
The principle of representatives from conflicting countries meeting is one of the EAC’s foundational practices. Member countries have agreed that if there is a dispute, they will sit down and peacefully discuss ways to resolve it.
Relations between Rwanda and Burundi deteriorated in December 2023, when RED Tabara, an armed group operating in Burundi launched attacks in the Gatumba zone, located in Bujumbura Rural Province.
Burundi’s President, Evariste Ndayishimiye, told the press that Rwanda was suspected to be behind the actions of the armed group and that its leaders were based in Kigali.
The Rwandan government vehemently denied these accusations, clarifying that it does not collaborate with any group opposing the government of its neighbouring country.
In January 2024, the Burundian government closed all land borders with Rwanda, stating that they would reopen them once those who attempted to overthrow former president Pierre Nkurunziza’s government in 2015 were sent to Bujumbura.
In February 2024, South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit, who is also the Chairperson of the EAC, visited Rwanda and Burundi to try and mediate between both sides, aiming to find an amicable solution to the conflict.
Rwanda’s development in recent years continues to be driven by technological advancements across various sectors. This technology is also playing a crucial role in the country’s ambitious goal of becoming a healthcare hub for the region, Africa, and beyond.
The country is making strides in helping mothers conceive children using In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), a technology that involves minimum invasive surgery.
It helps couples conceive where natural methods are impossible due to reproductive health problems such as infertility.
Available information indicates that some of the issues leading couples to seek IVF include blocked fallopian tubes which prevent the smooth flow of the fertilization process. Such problems in women are often related to age and irregular menstrual cycles.
Men, however, may also seek IVF services due to anomalies such as low sperm count, poor sperm quality and production of immature sperms, among others.
To date, around eight million babies globally have been born through this method of combining sperm and egg outside the body and implanting the embryo in the mother’s womb.
According to medics at Kanombe Military Hospital (where this technology is available), 15% of mothers seeking gynaecology services face such issues.
Dr. Eugene Ngoga, a gynaecology specialist and expert in IVF technology says that late 2020, 108 babies have been born using IVF.
“Another 20 mothers are currently pregnant and awaiting delivery. Many people are opting for this service because infertility issues are very upsetting. We see up to 200 patients monthly,” he said. The hospital has six doctors assisting with this technology
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For IVF to be successful, a woman with infertility issues is given medication to help her eggs mature over a period of 10 to 12 days. The maturity of the eggs is determined using ultrasound methods and then extracted.
Together with follicular fluid, the eggs are then examined by specialists to rule out any abnormalities.
Dr. Ngoga explains once the eggs are ready, the man provides his sperm, which is also examined and processed being combined with the egg outside the human body.
The embryo is then kept under supervision in the laboratory (maintained at a temperature of 37°C for five days) to safeguard the process of fertilization and ensure progressive development. At this point, the embryo is then artificially implanted in the woman’s uterus.
“We fertilise more than one embryo and store the rest for potential future use, in a highly controlled environment where they can last up to 10 years,” Ngoga says.
As a precautionary measure to increase the chances of a successful pregnancy, two embryos are implanted in the mother’s uterus. In most cases, it results in the birth of twins.
Sometimes more than two embryos are implanted, but Ngoga says that two is optimal due to the difficulty of managing complications that come with preterm births.
Implanting the embryos takes about two minutes and is not painful. After ten days, a test is carried out to determine whether the procedure was successful.
It should be noted that IVF is the last option if other treatments for infertility have failed, as all underlying issues are examined.
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While there is no price one can attach to attaining a child, IVF services are typically expensive and not covered by medical insurance.
Costs vary based on infrastructure, facility capabilities, medication, and embryo care. Repeated attempts can increase costs. In Rwanda, IVF services cost about RWF 5.5 million in a private hospital.
However, at Kanombe Military Hospital, efforts to reduce costs to encourage more people to access these services are underway.
“At our hospital, we have managed to lower the cost to 2.5 million Rwandan Francs due to government support but in the region, it’s much more expensive,” he said.
Research indicates that in Uganda, the price is about $7000. In Kenya, it’s even much more expensive due to the sophisticated equipment involved.
Currently, no medical insurance policy in Rwanda covers these services, but the Military Hospital is working with relevant bodies to get insurance to cover IVF.
Despite superstitious concerns, health experts affirm that apart from fertilization occurring outside the body, the pregnancy progress and childbirth are completely normal.
Hundreds of thousands of supporters gathered with great morale and joy praising him for social development activities put in place by his government.
One speaker after another poured out heartfelt gratitude for developmental programs such as the school feeding program, gender inclusion, reliable health services and other infrastructure facilities that have collectively brought sustainable development to the area.
One Mukamerika Marie Rose, who was the first to speak, praised Kagame’s leadership for giving a platform that allowed her family to end poverty and enable her four children to access quality education.
“You did not only introduce the school feeding program which allowed children to have a meal from school but also thought about teachers and increased their salaries,” she said in reference to a recent salary increment for teachers of up to 80 per cent.
A teacher herself, Mukamerika’s testimony went as far as highlighting the contribution of Kagame and RPF leadership in gender which enabled women to have greater ambitions.
In his brief address, Kagame implored the residents not to be held in bondage by the country’s bad past history but rather learn lessons on how to further develop their country.
“The bond we have together is unbreakable. You have overtime attained more knowledge and skills. This should be a reason for you to excel in developing your area even further,” he said amid encouraging chants of appraisal.
“Even though you have achieved a lot of success and development as you have described, better things are yet to come because as leaders, we are also committed to giving it our best shot,” he added
He thanked them for demonstrating courage and resilience by stepping out of the ruins of bad leadership to becoming exemplary people striving for personal and national progress.
Kagame, who was in the company of Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente who also hails from Gakenke District, praised the residents for upholding their unity even in diversity.
“Those roads, electricity, hospitals, schools and other infrastructural developments should act as an inspiration to achieve even more,” he said.
He said that despite differences in beliefs, practices, and ways of life, people can live together in harmony and work towards common goals.
He emphasized the idea that diversity enriches collective experiences and perspectives thereby building stronger and more resilient communities.
In many countries and regions, “unity in diversity” is celebrated as a fundamental value that promotes peace, stability, and progress.
It encourages dialogue, cooperation, and collaboration across different groups, fostering a sense of belonging and shared identity while respecting individual uniqueness.
Overall, “unity in diversity” encapsulates the belief that despite varied backgrounds and identities, people can come together as one community to create a better world for everyone.
As the presidential campaigns draw closer to the end, Kagame is scheduled to meet residents in Bumbogo (Gasabo District) on Friday, July 12, and conclude with Gahanga in Kicukiro District on Saturday, July 13, 2024.
In a televised address on Thursday, July 11, the Head of State also dismissed the country’s Attorney General, Justin Muturi, in the wake of youth-led anti-government protests demanding the President’s resignation.
He directed Principal Secretaries to supervise ministries as he worked on forming a broad-based government to help him achieve “urgent and irreversible implementation of the program we have”.
The embattled Kenyan Head of State said he had resolved to dissolve his Cabinet “upon reflection, listening keenly to what the people of Kenya have said and after a holistic appraisal of the performance of the cabinet and its achievements and challenges.”
“I have, in line with the powers given to me by Article 152(1) and 152(5)(b) of the Constitution and Section 12 of the Office of the Attorney-General Act, decided to dismiss with immediate effect all the Cabinet Secretaries and the Attorney-General from the Cabinet of the Republic of Kenya except the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs,” President Ruto stated.
“I will immediately engage in extensive consultations across different sectors, political formations, and other Kenyans, both in public and private, 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 the program we have,” he added.
According to President Ruto, his administration aims to put in place radical measures and programs to deal with the burden of debt, explore raising domestic resources and revenues, expand job opportunities, eliminate waste and unnecessary duplication across multiple government agencies, and slay the dragon of corruption.
“This will make the government of Kenya lean, inexpensive, effective, and efficient,” he stated.
The 22 members of the Cabinet fired on Thursday include Njuguna Ndung’u (National Treasury and Planning), Kipchumba Murkomen (Roads and Transport), Aisha Jumwa (Gender, Culture, the Arts & Heritage), Aden Duale (Defence), Alice Wahome (Lands, Public Works, Housing & Urban Development), Alfred Mutua (Tourism & Wildlife), Moses Kuria (Public Service, Performance & Delivery Management), Rebecca Miano (Investments, Trade & Industry), Kithure Kindiki (Interior and National Administration), Soipan Tuya (Environment and Forestry), Zachariah Njeru (Water, Sanitation & Irrigation), Peninah Malonza (East African Community, The ASALs & Regional Development) and Mithika Linturi (Agriculture and Livestock Development).
Others Ezekiel Machogu (Education), Davis Chirchir (Energy and Petroleum), Ababu Namwamba (Youth Affairs and Sports), Simon Chelugui (Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development), Salim Mvurya (Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs), Florence Bore (Labour and Social Protection), Eliud Owalo (Information, Communications and the Digital Economy), Susan Nakhumicha Wafula (Health), and Mercy Kiiru Wanjau (Secretary to the Cabinet).
The changes in Ruto’s government come days after he announced new austerity measures to cut government expenditure following the [withdrawal of the controversial Finance Bill 2024->https://en.igihe.com/spip.php?page=mv2_article&id_article=50901].
The Finance Bill 2024 sought to raise Ksh 346 billion in additional taxes for the government. However, the proposed law sparked protests from “Gen Zs” who took to the streets to demand the rejection of what they termed as “punitive taxes”.
The President announced Ksh177 billion budget cuts to seal the budget hole left after the withdrawal of the bill.
Ruto said the Ksh169 billion budget deficit would be raised through additional borrowing.
He also announced that 47 state corporations would be dissolved and merged with parent ministries, and that the number of his advisors would be reduced by half.
Other austerity measures include the removal of the operations budget for the Office of the First Lady, the Spouse of the Deputy President, and the Prime Cabinet Secretary.
The report unveiled on Wednesday, June 10, 2024, shows that inflation in urban centres was driven by an increase in the prices of food and beverages, as well as transportation costs.
Between June 2023 and June 2024, the prices of food and beverages increased by 3.1%, while transportation costs saw a significant increase of 23.2% over the past year.
In the same period, prices of milk cheese and eggs in the urban areas increased by 21.1%, meat (10%) and bread and cereals (0.7%).
The cost of non-alcoholic beverages went up by 9.1%, alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics (1.6%), restaurants and hotels 3.1%, and clothing and footwear (5.6%).
Additionally, the cost of accessing health services recorded an increment of 3.0%, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels increased by 2.0%, education, 1.6% and communication 1.2%. The cost of vegetables reduced by 1.6% and Recreation and culture 0.9% over the same period
There was, however, a silver lining as prices in June 2024 were slightly lower (0.4%) compared to May 2024.
Prices in rural areas decreased slightly compared to both June 2023 (-1.4%) and May 2024 (-0.8%). This resulted in the overall inflation increasing by 1.1 percent annually with a monthly inflation decrease of 0.6 percent.
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Over the past year, prices of locally produced goods increased by 3.8%. However, in June 2024 compared to May 2024, there was a slight decrease of 0.2%.
Prices of imported goods rose significantly by 9% annually. However, similar to local goods, there was a monthly decrease of 0.7% in June 2024.
The cost of fresh produce increased moderately by 3.2% over the year, with a small increase of 0.1% in prices from May to June 2024.
Energy prices saw an annual rise of 3.7%. However, there was a significant drop of 2.3% in June 2024 compared to May 2024.
In May, the National Bank of Rwanda (NBR) cut its monetary policy rate by 50 basis points to 7.0 per cent, citing a stabilizing inflation rate.
Addressing a press conference in Kigali, NBR Governor John Rwangombwa announced that Rwanda’s inflation rate had dropped to 4.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2024 from 8.9 per cent registered in the last quarter of 2023. He added that the bank expects inflation to remain within the target of 5 per cent in 2024 and 2025.
“We expected inflation to ease to around 5% this year, and in the first quarter, we registered an average of 4.7%. We expect this trend to continue for the rest of the year. At least, our average projection for this year is 5%, which is the same projection we have for 2025,” Rwangombwa said.
This decision has been made to provide every citizen with the opportunity to exercise their right to vote without any work-related constraints or hindrances in accordance with existing democratic principles.
According to a statement released by the Ministry of Public Service and Labour, all government offices, institutions and private businesses are expected to observe the directive.
“The Ministry of Public Service and Labour informs employers and employees that Monday, July 15, and Tuesday, July 16, 2024, will be public holidays to allow Rwandans to participate in the Presidential and Parliamentary elections and fulfil their civic duties,” reads the statement.
The general elections begin on Sunday, July 14, 2024 (for Rwandans in the diaspora). Locally, they will take place on Monday, July 15 while the next day is dedicated to the Parliamentary elections for special groups.
Every voter is supposed to vote from the village where he or she is registered and that’s why such public holidays are declared prior to Election Day.
In the past, however, essential services such as hospitals, emergency services, and security agencies would continue to operate as usual to ensure public safety and welfare. It is not any different this time.
It means that by virtue of one’s job, certain groups of people can be allowed to vote from a polling station that is near to them, not necessarily where they were registered.
These special groups of people include members of the police service, soldiers, journalists, students sitting for national examinations and the sick.
According to the National Electoral Commission, members of the security forces who are on mission and journalists covering elections can cast their ballot at the nearest polling station. This also applies to polling staff and emergency workers.
Election observers of Rwandan nationality, representatives of political organizations and independent candidates may also cast their ballot at the polling station they are working from.
Citizens are encouraged to use this day to participate in the voting process and contribute to the democratic governance of their nation.
The spokesperson for Germany’s center-right CDU/CSU faction says the government should utilize the preparatory efforts undertaken by the U.K. to enhance their own preparations for the deal.
According to him, since Rwanda was ready to work with European countries on migration cooperation, the termination of the U.K. deal means more “capacity” for Germany.
“We should stick to the plan, and make use of the preparations our British partners made for it,” the member of the German Parliament for Heilbronn told a local publication.
The lawmaker is among members of former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU/CSU faction who have been promoting a proposal for offshore processing of asylum seekers, similar to the scheme adopted by the former UK PM Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party in the UK. Italy also has a similar plan in the pipeline with Albania.
Throm’s proposal comes two months after another CDU lawmaker, Jens Spahn, spoke highly of the relations between Germany and Rwanda following his meeting with President Paul Kagame in Kigali, hinting at hopes for future cooperation.
“We had the great honor of exchanging views with Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame for two hours – discussing current global challenges, the migration agreement with the UK, and the good cooperation between Rwanda and Germany. We aim to further expand this. Thanks for that privilege, Mr President,” Spahn said in a post on X in May.
Immigration, especially irregular immigration and asylum, is viewed as a major issue in Germany.
To address the problem, Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed in principle in late 2023 to explore the idea of offshore processing of asylum claims. Already, the proposal is said to have received support from many senior figures in state government, including the Bavarian Home Affairs Minister Joachim Herrmann.
However, more effort is needed to secure endorsement of the scheme from two of the three parties in the country’s governing coalition. Both the Greens and Scholz’s Social Democrats oppose the idea, while the center-right FDP is in favour.
In the UK, the migration scheme aimed to deter illegal migrants from arriving using small boats across the English Channel by moving the migrants to Rwanda. However, the Labour Party differed with the Conservatives over the effectiveness and cost of the plan.
A day after the new UK prime minister confirmed plans to terminate the agreement, the Rwandan government reaffirmed its commitment to addressing the global migration crisis.
In a statement released Monday, July 8, 2024, the Office of the Government Spokesperson said that nothing will stand in their way while trying to find solutions to the global migration crisis.
“We remain committed to finding solutions to the global migration crisis, including providing safety, dignity, and opportunity to refugees and migrants who come to our country,” the Government stated.
