President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya has reportedly suspended a number of cabinet and principal secretaries who were indicted for corruption through an investigative report. The president has subsequently appointed temporary ministers while the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) continues investigations.
Four key ministers identified by the report are Felix Koskei (Agriculture), Davis Chirchir (Energy), Michael Kamau (Transport) and Kazungu Kambi (Labour). They will be replaced by Industrialisation CS Adan Mohammed, who will take over the Agriculture ministry, while Henry Rotich of National Treasury will oversee the Energy sector.
The report alleges that almost 20 percent of the current president’s cabinet is corrupt. President Uhuru, seeking to act swiftly, has also attempted to replace the heads of over 10 agencies, most of which fall under the supervision of the ministries affected.
As the sectors indicted are critical to economic progress, it remains to be seen if this drastic action will have an adverse effect on East Africa’s biggest economy.