The government on Tuesday, January 28, issued a fresh plea to US President Donald Trump as his executive order on halting foreign aid started taking effect.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei stated that the latest directive by Trump hampers development in critical areas such as health. He called on the newly inaugurated president to propose alternative solutions to safeguard populations in countries like Kenya, which face significant risks in light of the recent developments.
“The announced pause to US Foreign Assistance will unfortunately impair the ability of many African countries to meet health and other targets and undermine the realization of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals),” Korir stated.
“We hope President Trump’s administration will provide new pathways for cushioning most vulnerable populations,” he averred.
Korir’s plea comes after Trump issued a 90-day pause in foreign development assistance pending assessments of efficiencies and consistency with his foreign policy. The Executive Order was issued hours after his swearing-in on Monday, January 20.
The order, among many Trump signed on his first day back in the office, said "the foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values” and “serve to destabilise world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations internal to and among countries.”
"All department and agency heads responsible for United States foreign development assistance programs shall immediately pause new obligations and disbursements of development assistance funds," read the executive order signed by Trump.
Kenya receives substantial foreign aid from the US, encompassing various sectors such as health, security, and economic development.
According to a 2020 report by AidData, the US contributions to Kenya were estimated at over $3 billion (about Ksh386.85 billion in the current exchange rates) annually, with approximately $1 billion (about Ksh128.95 billion in the current exchange rates) per year coming directly from foreign aid.
Most of this aid has historically been directed toward health initiatives through the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Since its inception, Kenya has received about $7 billion (about Ksh902.65 billion in the current exchange rates) from PEPFAR over 15 years, making it one of the program's largest beneficiaries.
Even so, Korir maintained optimism urging African countries to take advantage of the current situation to develop sustainable initiatives that would enhance financial independence and reduce reliance on foreign aid.
“Equally, African states must rise to the challenge and seize the opportunity to wean themselves from external dependency,” Sing’oei asserted.
