FORD FOUNDATION DENIES ALLEGATIONS OF FUNDING ANARCHY IN KENYA
The Ford Foundation of the US has, on Friday, denied the claims of sponsoring 16 NGOs to cause anarchy in Kenya. This was a day after the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote to the organization seeking clarification over its financial operations in the country.
The Ford Foundation outlined the purely charitable nature of its operations in Kenya, noting information about activities and funding on its website.
The Foundation’s president, Darren Walker, has emphasized that the Foundation has made full disclosure of online records showing how monies are used in Kenya.
Walker said, “While we continue to acknowledge the right of Kenyans to peaceful advocacy for a just and fair country, we repudiate any actions or speech that are hateful or which advocate violence against any institution, individual, or community.”
The Foundation expressed the need to continue with the 60-year legacy in Kenya and the larger East African region. To this end, Walker explained that the commitment to such service delivery remains solid despite the recent allegations.
The allegations emerge barely a week after Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei wrote a letter to the Ford Foundation demanding an accountability report.
A letter obtained, accuses the Foundation of having spent at least Sh752 million on various Kenyan organizations during April 2023 and May 2024. In his letter, PS Sing’Oei demanded a detailed disclosure of all grantees over the past year, detailing approved programs and budgets for the last three months.
The letter read, “You will concede that the above funds disbursed to non-state recipients are of a substantial nature and require prudent use to serve legitimate purposes or risk abuse to aid nefarious ends. Their conduct also fundamentally flouts Ford Foundation’s Non-Lobbying Policy, begging the question of whether your Foundation has abandoned this policy and is now intent on adversely influencing the internal political and policy processes within the Republic of Kenya.”
