US government development and health agency whose funding cuts in early 2025 forced closure of 73% of US-funded Kenyan organisations serving sex workers and LGBTQ communities, and whose exit is exposing African health systems' donor dependence.
News reports
Order a long-term news report on USAID
Every mention in the Kenyan press over the period you choose, compiled as a PDF or Word document.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
The Standard
… International support, including USAID-funded systems, strengthens surveillance and response capacity, but primarily affects speed and coordination of containment rather than the existence of disease itself. …
Ebola and politics of trust in healthcare systemCitizen Digital
… Perhaps the most cutting critique came from Jeremy Konyndyk, who served as director of USAID's Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance during the devastating 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak. …
Ebola: Ready or just greedy? Politicians say Kenya is ready, doctors warn we are notThe Standard
… These programmes have in the past relied heavily on support from the US government through US Agency for International Development (USAID), PEPFAR and the Global Fund. …
Health spending plan rises to Sh175.5 billion amid donor cutsThe 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 mothersCitizen 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 EbolaThe 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 schoolThe 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 systemsThe 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 crisisThe 2026 US midterm elections will reshape congressional oversight of budget and foreign aid allocations, trade legislation, and immigration policy, with significant implications for Africa-US relations, including the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act and global health financing.
31 October 2026 · The Standard →
The 2026 US midterm elections will reshape congressional oversight of budget and foreign aid allocations, trade legislation, and immigration policy, with significant implications for Africa-US relations, including the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act and global health financing.
31 October 2026 · The Standard →
Zambia announced it will sign a deal Thursday for $1.5 billion in US health funding that had stalled over disagreements on mineral rights and patient data sharing. The health minister said the revised memorandum of understanding removes provisions on critical minerals and addresses concerns over data, intellectual property, and patient specimens.
6 October 2026 · The Standard →
AFP has confirmed at least 24 deaths of HIV-positive Kenyan sex workers following US aid cuts in early 2025, with health staff and NGOs warning of a spike in HIV infections among sex workers and a potential rise in cases among the general population.
23 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →