Bad News for Ruto as Court Makes a Major Move Against His Cabinet Secretaries Ahead of 2027

The High Court has issued fresh directions in a case seeking to suspend Cabinet operations and stop the payment of salaries and benefits to Cabinet Secretaries serving under President William Ruto.

In directions issued on Monday, November 9, 2026, Justice E. Ogola certified an application filed by five civil society organisations as urgent, giving the parties specific timelines to respond.

The application seeks to prevent Cabinet Secretaries from performing their official duties until President Ruto reconstitutes his Cabinet to comply with the constitutional two-thirds gender rule.

The organisations behind the application include Katiba Institute, the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW), Transparency International Kenya, CRAWN Trust and Women’s March Kenya.

They argue that the President failed to comply with a June 30, 2026, High Court judgment directing him to reconstitute the Cabinet within 120 days.

The deadline expired on October 28, with the applicants claiming that the required changes had not been implemented.

Among the orders being sought is an injunction stopping the Controller of Budget from approving the payment of salaries and benefits to Cabinet Secretaries or releasing public funds for Cabinet operations.

However, the latest court directions do not mean that the salaries have been stopped. The application is yet to be determined.

Justice Ogola directed the applicants to serve the application on all respondents and interested parties within three days. The respondents have until November 19 to file their responses.

The matter will return before a three-judge bench on December 1, 2026, at 12:30 pm for further directions.

The case adds to the legal challenges facing the Ruto administration as questions continue to emerge over the composition of the Cabinet and constitutional gender representation.

The June judgment found that the Cabinet did not meet the constitutional requirement that no more than two-thirds of members of appointive bodies should be of the same gender.

The December hearing is expected to provide further direction on the dispute and the orders requested by the petitioners.

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