The executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump, halting all foreign development assistance for 90 days, has sent shockwaves to governments worldwide including the Kenyan government.
Kenyan Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs Korir Sing’Oei has revealed the decision will hinder African countries from meeting their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In a statement on January 28, Sing’Oei said the Trump order will weaken the ability of African governments to meet their targets.
“The announced pause to US Foreign Assistance will unfortunately impair the ability of many African countries to meet health and other targets and undermine the realization of SDGs,” Sing’Oei said.
Sing’Oei said Kenya remains hopeful that President Trump will create a new mechanism to assist the most vulnerable countries.
However, he emphasized that African states must learn from Trump’s order and stop relying on developed countries.
“We hope President Trump’s administration will provide new pathways for cushioning most vulnerable populations,” he said.
“Equally, African states must rise up to the challenge and seize the opportunity to wean themselves from external dependency.”
Trump Stops Foreign Assistance
On January 20, Trump signed an executive order halting all foreign development assistance for 90 days.
Trump stated that the U.S. foreign aid industry and bureaucracy do not align with American interests and, in many cases, contradict American values.
He said the aid serves to destabilize world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that directly contradict harmonious and stable relations within and among nations.
Also Read: Details of Ruto Calls with Trump Top Diplomat and Macron
Trump said the halt will allow assessment of programmatic efficiencies and consistency with U.S foreign policy.
He stated that no further U.S. foreign assistance will be disbursed in a manner that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the United States.
He directed the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to enforce the pause through its apportionment authority.
Also Read: USAID to Suspend Projects in Kenya and East Africa After Trump Order
U.S Withdraws from WHO
Trump also signed another executive order withdrawing U.S from the World Health Organization (WHO).
He said the decision made in 2020 is due to the organization’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises.
He also accused the WHO of failing to implement urgently needed reforms and of being unable to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of its member states.
Additionally, Trump stated that the WHO continues to demand unfairly burdensome payments from the U.S., far exceeding the contributions of other countries.
He pointed out that China, with a population of 1.4 billion (three times that of the U.S) contributes nearly 90 percent less to the WHO.
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