Government Explores Alternatives After USAID Freeze

The government has announced plans to allocate Sh24.9 billion to fund programs affected by the United States freeze on foreign aid.
Speaking during a national health summit on Monday, attended by both national and county government representatives, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki stated that the government is pursuing diplomatic interventions to seek clarification, request waivers and secure approvals for the continuation of USAID-funded programs.
"Certain development partners have recently made abrupt policy changes regarding the financing of health programs," Deputy President Kindiki said.
"I assure the nation that we remain committed to ensuring that any policy decisions by our development partners do not compromise the delivery of healthcare services in Kenya."
Should diplomatic efforts fail however, the government plans to fully absorb the Sh24.9 billion shortfall into its national budget.Already, Sh2 billion has been allocated for vaccines, with an additional Sh2.5 billion set aside to prevent disruptions from the Vaccine Alliance Gavi freeze.
Kindiki reiterated that the government’s priority is to safeguard the quality of healthcare from the effects of foreign policy shifts.
"We are making all necessary contingency plans to prevent any disruptions in service delivery to the people of Kenya," he added.
During the summit, officials warned that Kenya risks recording 58,495 new HIV infections by 2030 if donor funding is reduced.Currently, the US government contributes Sh24.9 billion to Kenya’s Sh79.8 billion health commodity budget.