- The moratorium on USAID funding has led to significant loss of work, and bringing many Kenyan professionals into financial and emotional stress
- Plans for Health, Education and Agriculture are stuck, thus leaving at risk communities without essential services
- Many laid off workers face problems with repaying loans, repaying and meeting basic requirements, with some at risk of listing by credit agencies
- The moratorium is in line with Trump's broad strategy to re -evaluate US foreign aid, raising concerns about the decline in personal investment and economic downtry in developing nations
Nairobi – The United States International Development Agency (USAID) has suspended many programs following the President's directive Donald Trump to stop the foreign aid.
Source: Getty Images
A billionaire and a close ally of Trump, Elon Muskhe has already referred to USAID as a criminal organization.
In a series of tweets on Monday, February 3, Musk criticized USAID, saying the Trump administration is working to close the foreign aid agency.
Musk, who heads the State Effective Department (DOGE) claimed USAID used public funds to fund biological weapons research including Covid-19.
This decision has brought shock to the Kenyan development agenda, leading to mass labor among Kenyan experts.
Many of those who were essential to these programs have been exposed to financial uncertainty and emotional distress.
How was Kenya affected by the moratorium on the funding
In Kenya, the impact is evident since many local organizations that collaborated with USAID have been forced to reduce or shut down activities.
This move has caused thousands of Kenyans to be unemployed and to undermine development in various sectors of development. The termination has also raised concerns about the future of ongoing projects.
For example, health programs that provided essential services to vulnerable people are now at stake.
The uncertainty about the restoration of funding has left many beneficiaries worried about the continuation of the support.
The Kenyan government is now facing the challenge of filling the gap left by USAID to withdraw.
However, in addition to limited resources and competitive priorities, it remains to be seen how local authorities can reduce the adverse effects of the moratorium on this funding.
Phelicia, a Kenyan, who was recently laid off from a project based on agriculture, shared her concerns, saying the move came at the wrong time.
“The cancellation of USAID funding has had a lot of effects on our lives. We have friends who had joined the USAID -funded program, leaving a program that was not funded by USAID. So that means that if they did not leave any other jobs, they would still have a source of income . He said.
How non -governmental organizations have been affected
He said further that the dismissal has already affected some of the workers working under USAID.
Phelicia, who wanted to avoid her organization from engaging in daily newspapers highlighted some of the responsibilities that families have been left to worry about.
“So most of these people are stressful and are just struggling with mental problems at the moment. In addition, we have people working under USAID -funded programs and they have loans. We have loans, we serve, we pay for it right now, without Source of income, there is no way we will be able to repay the loan.
Likewise, some of us will be listed and logged in CRBsomething we did not expect, we have no control over all that. Your children in school, school fees have to be paid, people need to eat. And then the pleasant part, even if the organization wants to pay you, they can't, “he added.
The sudden termination of funding has not only affected individuals but also hampered essential services across the country.
Projects aimed at improving health, education, and infrastructure have been suspended, leaving the dependent communities in a state of confusion.
Why has Trump suspended aid funding from the United States
Freezing is part of the broad strategy of the Trump administration to re -evaluate the use of foreign aid.
According to the CNN report, the US decision to freeze and the possibility of ceasing USAID is causing concern among investors and countries dependent on its aid.
USAID plays an important role in promoting personal investment in sectors such as health care and small businesses in emerging economies.
Reduced relief can hinder investment and increase borrowing costs for countries such as developing countries, and threaten their economic stability.
USAID funding helped to make a lot of activation and reduce risk to banks and investors in unbeaten countries.
The removal of the agency could affect the credit quality of these countries, thus making it difficult for them to get the future investment.
The investment focus on emerging markets, which have already been influenced by international issues, has become more reliable.
Did the US stop foreign aid to Africa
In related news, the US government agreed to allow for humanitarian support to save lives again, despite the preliminary order to suspend foreign aid.
Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio issued a statement expressing such special exemptions, reducing concerns among international aid groups facing uncertainty about funding.
In his instructions, Rubio explained that the exemption would allow for important humanitarian assistance, including main life -saving drugs, medical care, food, accommodation, and subsistence assistance, as well as proper equipment and cost of management when needed to provide such assistance .
He further added that the money for immigration and refugee assistance (MRA) would be only for humanitarian aid and efforts to bring them home, thus preventing the funds from being used for broad immigration policies.
Freedom rebukes Kenyans about foreign support
On Wednesday, January 28, former President Uhuru Kenyatta criticized Kenyans for complaining of the executive orders issued by Trump about shutting down foreign aid.
Uhuru called on the heads of African countries not to cry out about the removal of health funding by the US president.
He informed them to take such action as an awareness of health and other issues and to avoid the misuse of their resources.
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