President William Ruto with members of his cabinet at State House, Nairobi.

Kenyan President William Ruto fired his entire cabinet on Thursday in response to youth-led countrywide protests over a tax bill, but he maintained Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and a prime cabinet secretary.

This comes a week after Ruto scrapped the budgets for offices of the First Lady, and Second Lady, dissolved 47 state agencies and suspended non-essential travel for govt workers and the purchase of new cars.

Ruto said his action was prompted by public dissatisfaction that led to the protests against the finance bill which he already declined to sign into law.

Listening keenly to what the people of Kenya have said and after a holistic appraisal of the performance of my cabinet and its achievements and challenges, I have…decided to dismiss with immediate effect all the cabinet secretaries and the attorney general,” he said in a televised address.

Ruto said the government will operate under principal secretaries while he consults with different sectors, political formations, and Kenyan citizens to set up a broad-based government that will be “lean, inexpensive, and efficient”.

According to Nation newspaper, Mr Ruto is said to be considering appointing opposition officials from Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) into his cabinet.