The former President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, has criticised those lamenting the stoppage of foreign aids by the United States President Donald Trump.
In a viral video, the former President mocked those lamenting about this development, urging them to rather seek ways to use their own resources to aid themselves.
He said, “I saw some people the other day, crying ‘oh! I don’t know, Trump has removed money. He said he’s not giving us any more money’. Why are you crying? It’s not your government, it’s not your country, he has no reason to give you anything. I mean, you don’t pay taxes in America.
“He’s appealing to his people… This is a wakeup call for you to say ‘okay, what are we going to do to help ourselves?’ Instead of crying ‘what are we going to do?…because nobody is going to continue holding out a hand there to give you. It is time to use our resources for the right thing. We are the one who are using them for the wrong thing.”
The Trump administration on Tuesday moved to stop the supply of lifesaving drugs for HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, as well as medical supplies for newborn babies, in countries supported by USAID around the globe.
On Tuesday, contractors and partners who work with the United States Agency for International Development began receiving such memos to stop work immediately, sources said.
Trump ordered a 90-day pause in foreign development assistance on January 20, the day he took the oath of office, pending assessments of efficiencies and consistency with U.S. foreign policy.
His administration has also put on leave about 60 senior career officials at the USAID.
The administration’s actions threaten billions of dollars of life-saving aid from the world’s largest single donor. In fiscal year 2023, the U.S. disbursed $72 billion in assistance. It provided 42% of all humanitarian aid tracked by the United Nations in 2024.
