Thursday, January 30, 2025 – Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has criticized President William Ruto and his counterparts in Africa for complaining about U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw health aid to Africa.
Trump has signed executive
orders, including a 90-day freeze on foreign aid spending.
The freeze included current
foreign assistance programmes as well, including the President's Emergency Plan
for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
Also affected was USAID, which
would hamper global efforts to combat tuberculosis (TB).
However, speaking during the
East Africa Region Global Health Security Summit in Mombasa as the chief guest,
Uhuru defended Trump’s move, challenging African leaders to stop crying foul
and instead rethink ways to secure funds to facilitate their needs.
He urged African leaders to be
self-reliant by ensuring they address the challenges they face, enabling them
to free up resources for areas where they are most needed.
“I saw some people crying
the other day that Trump has withdrawn aid. Why are you crying? It’s not your
country, he has no reason to give you anything, you don’t pay taxes in America.
This is a wake-up call for you to say, ‘OK, what are we going to do to help
ourselves?’” the former president said.
He challenged the leaders to use
Africa’s resources for the right purposes and support Africans in living a comfortable
life.
“It is time for us to use our
resources for the right things. We are the ones using them for the wrong
things,” Uhuru continued.
Uhuru equally urged the
leaders not to rely on foreign aid but instead to prepare their own
resources, research, and academia, and invest in independence.
Since Trump’s announcement,
Ruto’s government has been all over begging him to reconsider his decision to
cut foreign aid to Kenya and the rest of the world.
The Kenyan DAILY POST.
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