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Kenya youths demand Ruto’s resignation, mull fresh protest

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Young Kenyans on Friday dismissed President William Ruto’s decision to sack most of his cabinet, with some warning that they would resume street protests unless he steps down.

Ruto has been scrambling to contain the fallout of deadly protests against proposed tax hikes after last month’s peaceful rallies descended into violence and tapped into widespread anger against his government.

Organised online and led largely by young, Gen-Z Kenyans, the protests have plunged Ruto’s administration into the most serious crisis of his two-year presidency, forcing him to abandon the finance bill containing the tax hikes.

In the latest move to defuse tensions, Ruto on Thursday dismissed all cabinet ministers including the attorney-general, with the exception of Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

But the announcement, while welcomed by some, did not appease some young Kenyans frustrated with Ruto’s failure to deliver on his 2022 election promise to create jobs and boost their fortunes.

Hyrence Mwangi, 25, said: “We will be back on the streets until Ruto goes. He has wasted two years in office travelling and telling lies.”

Initially peaceful, the protests sharply escalated when police fired at crowds who stormed parliament, ransacking the partly ablaze complex.

While large-scale street protests have subsided, anger against the government has not, particularly towards the police, with rights groups saying that 39 people were killed in the demonstrations.

“When we first went to the streets, Ruto dismissed us as a bunch of hired goons and criminals, only to come later and start saying he will make changes,” said 27-year-old Jackson Rotich.

“We can’t trust him.”

Law student Melisa Agufana, 24, said she wanted to “thank the president for listening”, adding that ministers had “wasted two years doing nothing apart from being driven around with our national flag.”

Analysts said the move offered the possibility of a fresh start but warned of further risks.

“The challenge that Ruto now faces is forming a new cabinet that includes various vested interests, whilst simultaneously calming popular anger”, Gabrielle Lynch, professor of comparative politics at the University of Warwick, told AFP.

Last week, Ruto announced sharp cuts to government spending, including travel and refurbishment costs, and said he would increase borrowing to pay for some services even as Kenya grapples with massive foreign debt equivalent to roughly 70 percent of GDP.

The crisis led US-based Moody’s to downgrade Kenya’s debt rating further into junk territory, warning of a negative outlook, which will make borrowing even more expensive for the cash-strapped government.

Ruto said Thursday that he would “immediately engage in extensive consultations across different sectors and political formations, with the aim of setting up a broad-based government”, without elaborating further.

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Former US President Bill Clinton hospitalised with fever

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Bill Clinton, the former US president who has faced a series of health issues over the years, was admitted to hospital Monday in Washington after developing a fever, his office said.

“President Clinton was admitted to Georgetown University Medical Center this afternoon for testing and observation after developing a fever,” the 78-year-old’s deputy chief of staff Angel Urena said on social media platform X, adding Clinton “remains in good spirits.”

Bill Clinton was previously hospitalized for five nights in October 2021 due to a blood infection.

In 2004, at age 58, he underwent a quadruple bypass operation after doctors found signs of extensive heart disease. He had stents implanted in his coronary artery six years later.

The health scare motivated him to make lifestyle changes, including adopting a vegetarian diet, and he has since spoken publicly about his efforts.

Clinton’s health last made headlines in November 2022 when he tested positive for Covid-19. He said at the time that his symptoms were “mild” and he was “grateful to be vaccinated and boosted.”

Clinton, who led the United States for two presidential terms from 1993-2001, is the second-youngest living US president, after 63-year-old Barack Obama.

He was born mere months after fellow former US president George W. Bush and President-elect Donald Trump.

Though his prosperous time in office was marred by scandals, he has enjoyed a second life in the two decades after his presidency, which has seen him venture into numerous diplomatic and humanitarian causes.

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Trump dismisses claims of handing presidency to Musk as ‘hoax’

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Could Elon Musk, who holds major sway in the incoming Trump administration, one day become president? On Sunday, Donald Trump answered with a resounding no, pointing to US rules about being born in the country.

“He’s not gonna be president, that I can tell you,” Trump told a Republican conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

“You know why he can’t be? He wasn’t born in this country,” Trump said of the Tesla and SpaceX boss, who was born in South Africa.

The US Constitution requires that a president be a natural-born US citizen.

Trump was responding to criticism, particularly from the Democratic camp, portraying the tech billionaire and world’s richest person as “President Musk” for the outsized role he is playing in the incoming administration.

As per ceding the presidency to Musk, Trump also assured the crowd: “No, no that’s not happening.”

The influence of Musk, who will serve as Trump’s “efficiency czar,” has become a focus point for Democratic attacks, with questions raised over how an unelected citizen can wield so much power.

And there is even growing anger among Republicans after Musk trashed a government funding proposal this week in a blizzard of posts — many of them wildly inaccurate — to his more than 200 million followers on his social media platform X.

Alongside Trump, Musk ultimately helped pressure Republicans to renege on a funding bill they had painstakingly agreed upon with Democrats, pushing the United States to the brink of budgetary paralysis that would have resulted in a government shutdown just days before Christmas.

Congress ultimately reached an agreement overnight Friday to Saturday, avoiding massive halts to government services.

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Seven confirmed dead in Western Mexico plane crash

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At least seven people died when a light aircraft crashed Sunday in a heavily forested area of Jalisco in western Mexico, local authorities reported.

The aircraft, a Cessna 207, was flying from La Parota in the neighbouring state of Michoacan.

Jalisco Civil Protection said via its social media that the crash site was in an area that was difficult to access.

Initial authorities on the scene “reported a preliminary count of seven people dead,” who haven’t been identified yet, according to the agency.

“A fire was extinguished and risk mitigation was carried out to prevent possible additional damage,” it added.

Authorities said they were awaiting the arrival of forensic investigators to remove the bodies and rule out the presence of additional victims.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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