The United States will provide more than $1.6 billion to strengthen Kenya’s health system under a new five-year agreement signed on Thursday, marking the first pact reached under the Trump administration’s overhaul of foreign aid, Reuters reported.
The administration unveiled its “America First Global Health Strategy” in September, emphasizing that lower-income countries should take a greater role in combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and polio, ultimately transitioning from aid dependency to self-reliance.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Kenyan President William Ruto signed the bilateral compact, under which Kenya pledged to increase its own health spending by $850 million over the next five years.
U.S. officials indicated that similar agreements with other African nations are expected in the coming days.
The new model for U.S. global health funding follows the earlier dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
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In 2024, prior to the Trump administration’s foreign aid cuts, the U.S. provided $440 million to Kenya for health and population programs, with $310 million of that dedicated to HIV/AIDS initiatives.
Rubio said the new approach would shift funding away from what he described as the “NGO industrial complex,” which he claimed had taken a disproportionate share of U.S. aid intended for patients. “We’re not doing this anymore,” he said at the signing ceremony.
Under the compact, U.S. funding will flow directly to the Kenyan government, which will gradually assume responsibility for health workers initially supported by the U.S.
The agreement also ensures that faith-based health providers are treated on the same basis as private providers when receiving government reimbursement.
Rubio also acknowledged Kenya’s contribution to a gang suppression force in Haiti and encouraged other nations to help bring stability to the Caribbean country.
Ruto echoed that call regarding Haiti and praised the Trump administration’s health initiative while recognizing that past U.S. support had saved millions of Kenyan lives.
“I assure you that every shilling and every dollar will be spent efficiently, effectively, and accountably,” Ruto said.
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Image Credit: Reuters
