President William Ruto has accused American Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Ford Foundation of sponsoring the recent Kenyan Anti-Government protests.
Ruto made the accusations in a statement on Monday, July 15, 2024, claiming that the Ford Foundation hired goons to cause violence during the protests which led to the destruction of property and looting of businesses.
The Head of State accused the NGO while reiterating the need for peace in Kenya, before proceeding to claim that some parties were huge beneficiaries of the protests in Kenya.
“Those sponsoring them to cause violence and mayhem must be ashamed of themselves. We ask the Ford Foundation to explain to Kenyans its role in the recent protests. We will call out all those who are bent on rolling back our hard-won democracy,” said the President.
Ford Foundation is an American NGO running civic education and government programs around the globe including Kenya, under its East Africa program.
Headquartered in New York, USA, the Foundation is an independent organization led by a distinguished board of trustees whose 16 members hail from four continents and bring leadership and expertise in a wide range of disciplines.
For over eight decades, the organization’s mission decisively advocates and supports the reduction of poverty and injustice among other values.
These includes the maintenance of democratic values, promoting engagement with other nations, and sustaining human progress and achievement at home and abroad.
Background of Ford Foundation
Under the Program, Ford’s ambition is to educate people so as to hold their governments accountable.
The Foundation dates to 1936 when it was established by Edsel Ford—son of Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company— with an initial gift of $25,000.
After Edsel and Henry died in the mid-1940s, their bequests turned the foundation into the largest philanthropy in the world.
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Henry Ford II, Edsel’s eldest son, assumed leadership of the Foundation, steering it to become an international philanthropy dedicated to the advancement of human welfare through reducing poverty and promoting democratic values, peace, and educational opportunity.
Ford Foundation has its presence in countries within the East African region including Kenya.
Presence in Kenya
Its Nairobi office opened in 1963, against the backdrop of independence in the East African region.
According to the Foundation’s website, its main aim is to support civic space and society in the region, which it describes as one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, with a large youth population.
“With greater prosperity in sight, it is critical to support open civic space, civil society and public dialogue with the government. This is key to ensuring that millions in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, the countries in which we work, can contribute to shaping society and unlock opportunities that should be open to all,” says the Foundation.
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The Foundation maintains that it has supported courageous leaders on the frontlines of social change in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Ford Foundation also boasts of having helped establish the University of Nairobi (UoN) in 1963.
From 2001-2013, the Foundation ran the International Fellows Program, which enabled over 380 Kenyans, Tanzanians, and Ugandans to pursue graduate studies and build a cohort of moral leaders.
Currently, the organization focuses on supporting and sustaining vibrant civic spaces in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and weaving the resilience of civil society, including to protect social justice activists.
“We work to defend basic freedoms that enable full citizen participation, build public interest technology and media, and encourage accurate narratives grounded in the perspectives of all East Africans.
We support the agency of all East Africans, in particular women, youth and people with disabilities, to play full and active roles as citizens and shape their present and future,” notes Ford Foundation East Africa.
Civic Education
In its mandate, the foundation stresses that billions of people around the world are excluded from full participation in the political, economic, and cultural systems that shape their lives because according to the foundation, governments have the potential to remedy or reinforce inequality.
Further, the foundation maintains that when people are able to organize, speak up, and engage, they have the potential to hold their leaders and institutions accountable, pushing them to fulfill their promise to serve the common good.
“We believe that meaningful civic engagement is an antidote to inequality, with rich potential to empower underrepresented and marginalized communities that have too often been excluded.
Across the globe, we work to protect and help civic spaces thrive to ensure all people have the opportunity to raise their voices, influence decisions, and hold governments to account,” the Foundation states.
Its ultimate aim, the Foundation maintains, is to continue the legacy of investing in East African visions, leadership and resourcing that is shaping the future of the region.
Expansion and Accusations
The philanthropic organization has grown to be a powerful humanitarian institution basing its operations in 11 regions across Asia, North America, Africa, and Latin America.
In East Africa they have been advocating for civic justice to protect social justice activists, having disbursed over $10.7 million (Ksh138 billion) from 2009.
President Ruto on Monday accused the Foundation of financing the recent anti-government protests in Kenya.
Ruto while addressing Kenyans at Keringet Market in Nakuru County talked tough reiterating the need for peace in Kenya and proceeded to claim that some parties were huge beneficiaries of the protests in Kenya.
The President alleged that the parties in question had been channeling funds to unidentified groups in Kenya to destabilize the country through staging protests.
However, the Foundation is yet to respond to the accusations made against it by President William Ruto.
Ruto’s allegations come just hours before the next round of protests scheduled for various county headquarters meant to hold various governors accountable kicks off.
The protests have been powered through social media and hashtags like “Occupy everywhere,” “Ruto Must Go” and “Occupy Counties.”
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