Mbadi Reveals Ksh52B Deficit After Trump Halts USAID; List of Affected Programmes

Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has revealed that the USAID was to support various programmes in the country to the tune of Ksh52 billion in this financial year. While appearing in the Senate on Wednesday, March 5, Mbadi detailed that the programmes were to be implemented through various agencies and development partners in the country. Some of the major programmes to be affected are in the health, education, governance, and food security sectors. Education In the education sector, USAID was to implement various projects worth Ksh2.8 billion (USD 22.3 million). The programmes included funding for the training of teachers, improvement of literacy in primary schools and improvement of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions. Additionally, part of the funding was to be used to offer scholarships to TVET students. The funding was aimed at supporting the Open University of Kenya. Food Security USAID was to support various programmes with Ksh16.5 billion funding. The funding was to support various NGOs in the counties and help support improved farming practices across the country. Part of the funding was also to be used to help Daadab and Kakuma refugee camps in addition to supporting relief food programmes targeting 2.5 million Kenyans. Governance and Health Under governance programs, USAID was to allocate Ksh1 billion (USD 8.6 million) in the 2024/2025 financial year. Likewise, under health, USAID was to support various programmes aimed at addressing diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV and AIDs Notably, following the move by President Donald Trump to suspend the aid, Mbadi noted that the government was reviewing this year's budget through the supplementary budget to ensure that the programmes are not affected. "With the affected state departments, we are reviewing our budgetary allocations to prioritise funding for sectors such as health and food security. If this funding stops abruptly, we cannot wait until the 2025/2026 budget," he stated. Mbadi added that they were also seeking financial assistance from other development partners to ensure that the programmes continue. He reiterated that the government was also keen on being self-reliant and avoiding depending on development partners for aid.