Select US Agency for International Development (USAID) employees have returned to work after US President Donald Trump's administration announced a limited waiver on some programs that had been affected by the foreign aid freeze.
Just hours after taking over the presidency, Trump ordered a 90-day pause in foreign development assistance, a move that affected countries benefiting from the aid, including Africa.
The move led to the suspension of employees, including in Kenya, with fears many would be laid off if funding was not reinstated. According to analysis, over 35,000 Kenyans risk losing their jobs from the funding freeze.
However, a section of these employees can now breathe a sigh of relief after the US administration announced a limited waiver on some of the programs.
The US announced a 90-day limited waiver for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program under USAID, allowing workers under the program to continue working.
The limited waiver temporarily restores its HIV/AIDS initiative, which supports life-saving HIV care and treatment as well as the prevention of mother-to-child transmission services.
“For purposes of this limited waiver, life-saving humanitarian assistance applies only to the delivery of life-saving HIV care and treatment services through support for health workers (doctors, nurses, and other clinical and community health workers, etc.) delivering or monitoring HIV care and treatment to ensure continuity of service provision," read part of the statement by the US Department of State.
Activities approved under the waiver include HIV testing services and HIV Care and Treatment Services for all populations and people living with HIV.
It also includes prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, which consists of testing and re-testing pregnant and breastfeeding women, providing HIV prevention services for pregnant and breastfeeding women who are HIV negative, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and HIV treatment medicines for pregnant and breastfeeding women who are positive, HIV testing for partners, early infant diagnosis tests, and comprehensive care for infants.
Other services are laboratory support, supply chain management for procurement of HIV medicines, and other commodities to prevent stockouts in national HIV programs, TB activities among HIV patients, and life-threatening cervical cancer among women living with HIV.
However, people other than those who are pregnant and breastfeeding who may be at risk of HIV infection cannot be offered PEPFAR-funded prep until further notice.
Salaries for health workers, laboratory staff, and supply chain staff necessary to carry out the specific activities have been included in the waiver.
In Kenya, at least 568 employees who had been sent home in Homa Bay County were asked to resume work immediately on Friday, February 7.
Meanwhile, in the US, a judge has temporarily blocked Trump's move to place USAID employees on paid leave.
