USAID

US foreign aid agency whose funding cuts and exit from Kenya have closed sex worker health clinics and strained donor-dependent health programmes since 2025.

2026-05-012026-09-19

In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

June 2026
1 JunThe Standard
… A 2024 USAID report on Preventing Child and Maternal Deaths indicates that Kenya’s maternal mortality rate stands at 594 deaths per 100,000 live births, far from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target of 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030. …
Death at birth: Makueni's new lifeline for mothers
May 2026
29 MayCitizen Digital
… The Trump administration has faced criticism from the Democratic Party and NGOs over its response to the crisis, which comes after the US withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the dismantling of the USAID aid agency. …
US allocates extra Ksh.10.3 billion to tackle Ebola
24 MayThe Standard
… e latest statistics from the County Department of Health, more than 2,000 teenage pregnancy cases were recorded in Kajiado County between January and March this year.A 2024 study conducted by the International Centre for Reproductive Health-Kenya (ICRH-K), with support from USAID …
Lack menstrual products still locking out many girls from school
12 MayThe Standard
Pharmacology staff count the last USAID drug supplies amid shortages at Lodwar County Referral Hospital on April 1, 2025. …
USAID exit exposes fragility of Africa's donor-funded health systems
1 MayThe Standard
… The withdrawal of USAID funding exposed Kenya’s vulnerability. Family planning services were disrupted, HIV treatment strained, and community health infrastructure left hanging. …
Africa must own its health crisis

Society

US aid cuts close Kenya's sex worker clinics, deaths rise

The News

The Trump administration's restructuring of US aid has forced 73 percent of US-funded organisations to end services to sex workers, LGBTQ communities, and drug users in Kenya. Most of the dozens of clinics that provided antiretroviral drugs, condoms, and preventive treatment specifically to sex workers have now closed, and health staff confirm at least 24 HIV-positive sex workers have died since aid was slashed in early 2025.

18 September 2026 · The Standard →

Yesterday

US aid cuts close Kenya's sex worker clinics, deaths rise
The Trump administration's restructuring of US aid has forced 73 percent of US-funded organisations to end services to sex workers, LGBTQ communities, and drug users in Kenya. Most of the dozens of clinics that provided antiretroviral drugs, condoms, and preventive treatment specifically to sex workers have now closed, and health staff confirm at least 24 HIV-positive sex workers have died since aid was slashed in early 2025.
18 September 2026 · The Standard →

Tuesday 8 September

Nurses' strike closes maternity services across Nakuru County
A nurses' strike by county government staff has suspended maternity and nursing services at multiple public health facilities in Nakuru County, forcing expectant mothers and sick children to seek care elsewhere while some facilities remain partially operational through development partner-employed nurses.
8 September 2026 · The Standard →

Wednesday 29 July

Kenyan NGOs adopt Somali advocacy to secure direct donor funding
As Western donors cut budgets and USAID scales back, Kenyan civil society is drawing on Adeso's decade-long advocacy for direct funding to local organisations rather than through international intermediaries, with this approach now central to how remaining donor money reaches Global South civil society groups.
29 July 2026 · The Standard →

Monday 20 July

American activist warns Kenya against US health strategy
Visiting American activist Ayo Kimathi urged Kenya and other African nations to reject Washington's America First Global Health Strategy, claiming it is part of a wider agenda to depopulate the Global South and describing it as one of the greatest threats to African survival in the 21st century.
20 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Monday 22 June

Kenya-US Ebola quarantine centre needs scrutiny on national benefits
An opinion piece argues the planned US-Kenya Ebola quarantine centre at Laikipia Air Base should be evaluated on national interest and tangible outcomes—such as health infrastructure, economic opportunities, and scientific research—rather than political personalities or partisan concerns.
22 June 2026 · The Standard →

Friday 19 June

Global displacement crisis threatens education, safety of children worldwide
An opinion piece marking 75 years of the 1951 Refugee Convention argues that by mid-2025, around 122 million people had been forced from their homes — roughly one in every 67 people alive — with conflict and climate shocks increasingly driving displacement that disrupts children's education and safety, particularly in Africa.
19 June 2026 · The Standard →

Thursday 18 June

Congo Ebola outbreak strains health response one month on
Health workers battling an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo lack personnel, ambulances, and construction materials for isolation wards. A month after the WHO declared an international emergency, the rare Bundibugyo strain outbreak has grown to more than 800 confirmed cases, with warnings it could surpass the 2014-16 West Africa epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people.
18 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Sunday 14 June

Ebola facility debate reflects trust gaps in Kenya's health system
A proposed Ebola quarantine and preparedness facility in Laikipia County has sparked debate over governance, constitutional rights, and devolution, with critics questioning why disease preparedness is being prioritized when public hospitals face shortages of medicines, staffing gaps, and uneven service delivery.
14 June 2026 · The Standard →

Thursday 11 June

Kenya divided over planned Ebola quarantine facility
Kenya's government, backed by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, says the country is prepared to host an Ebola quarantine facility announced by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in late May; doctors' unions and a majority of Kenyans oppose the plan, with street protests resulting in at least one death and a High Court injunction filed.
11 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Health budget rises to Sh175.5 billion despite donor cuts
Kenya's health docket has been allocated Sh175.5 billion in the 2026/27 Budget Estimates, a Sh37.5 billion increase from the current year, as the government accelerates Universal Health Coverage rollout amid reductions in donor support.
11 June 2026 · The Standard →

Monday 1 June

Makueni hospital implements strategy to prevent maternal deaths
A woman died from postpartum haemorrhage complications hours after delivering twins at Kambu Sub-county Hospital in Makueni County last December, highlighting the dangers of excessive bleeding after childbirth. The article frames this tragedy within Makueni's efforts to reduce maternal mortality.
1 June 2026 · The Standard →

Friday 29 May

US allocates additional $80 million to Ebola response in Congo, Uganda
The United States announced an additional $80 million allocation to combat the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, bringing total US aid to $112 million since the outbreak began. The funds will support protective equipment for healthcare workers, regional border screening, and test kits.
29 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Sunday 24 May

Lack of menstrual products keeps girls out of school
Thousands of school girls skip classes during menstruation due to lack of access to sanitary products and stigma, affecting their academic performance. Stakeholders at a summit in Kajiado County ahead of International Menstrual Hygiene Week (May 28) highlighted that the challenge is particularly acute in rural and marginalized areas.
24 May 2026 · The Standard →

Tuesday 12 May

USAID exit exposes fragility of Africa's donor-funded health systems
For decades, Kenya and across Africa have relied heavily on donor funding to run critical health programmes, and USAID's exit is now exposing the vulnerability of health systems dependent on external support.
12 May 2026 · The Standard →

Friday 1 May

African health experts warn of rising non-communicable diseases
Health experts at the World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2026 in Nairobi warn that non-communicable diseases are rising in Africa, with governments treating cancer care as an expense rather than investment. Nearly 75 per cent of African patients pay for healthcare out of pocket, and many cancers are detected late due to weak prevention and screening systems, with rapid urbanisation, sedentary lifestyles, processed foods, tobacco use and pollution cited as key drivers.
1 May 2026 · The Standard →