Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has advised African countries to rethink their use of resources after US President Donald Trump’s administration froze international aid and funding.
The directive is expected to have far-reaching consequences on countries that heavily rely on American assistance through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to fund critical sectors such as health.
Apart from direct aid to countries, many institutions, non-governmental organisations, and multinational agencies that depend on such funding for their programmes are also in jeopardy.
Speaking in Mombasa on Wednesday, January 29 during the East Africa Regional Global Health Security Summit, Mr Kenyatta said the American President’s move is a wake-up call to African nations.
“I saw some people the other day crying that Trump has removed funding, he is not giving us any more money. Why are you crying? It is not your government; it is not your country. You don’t pay taxes in America. This is a wake-up call for you to say, ‘okay what are we going to do to help ourselves?’ Nobody is going to continue holding out a hand there to give you. It is time for us to use our resources for the right things,” he said.
Some organisations have already sent out a communication to their clients that they will no longer be able to support programmes that had been scheduled for this year.
“As you may be aware, an executive order was issued by the US Administration on January 20 in relation to Foreign Aid. We have now received official notification to suspend activities on this project, which receives funding from the US Administration until the review is complete, and we have further instructions,” an international organisation stated, in an email seen by Nation.Africa regarding a project that had been scheduled for next month.
On Tuesday, January 28, Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa said her ministry is mapping out sectors that will be affected by the directive.
She explained that the recommended interventions will then be submitted to President William Ruto and the Cabinet for further deliberation to find a way forward. Kenya has mostly been relying on the US for funding on HIV/AIDS drugs and other programmes.
Mr Kenyatta alluded to the fact that many African governments are capable of doing without the aid if only they prudently used their resources.
He challenged African leaders to spend resources on funding health projects rather than buying bullets and guns to kill their own.
At the same time, the former president who has been a key facilitator of the East African Community (EAC)-led Nairobi Process on the restoration of peace in the Eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) challenged leaders to consider ending the war as a critical agenda for Africa.
His comments came at a time when hundreds of people are fleeing from the Eastern DRC city of Goma after M23 rebels took over early in the week.
Mr Kenyatta has been a mediator in talks between the rebels, the DRC government of President Félix Tshisekedi, and President Paul Kagame’s Rwanda — which is accused of backing M23 but has often denied this association. He said ending the fighting would allow communities in Eastern Congo to rebuild after years of suffering.
Part of Mr Kenyatta’s negotiations, before things fell apart, involved a ceasefire and withdrawal of the rebels from some areas.
Mr Kenyatta was in Mombasa at the invitation of the University of Nebraska, where he shared his experience as president during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He outlined how his government navigated through the tough period of the pandemic using various strategies in surveillance, communication, health services, funds drives, and economic solutions.
“This is an opportunity for us to discuss ways and means of how we can be better prepared to equally face any pandemic that may arise. Let us learn through the grace of God that cooperation, partnership, and understanding that led to our victory over the Covid-19 pandemic is what will guarantee the future safety and prosperity of our continent,” he said.
He said African countries should have set up research institutes and vaccine manufacturing factories as a top agenda so as to make them readily available when needed.
