Kenya Names 16 NGOs Behind Anti-Govt Demos, Demands Sh800M Funding Report From Ford Foundation

The government has written a letter to the Ford Foundation seeking beneficiaries’ details of the about Sh800 million disbursed to Kenyan organizations amid links to demos.

In a letter, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei is requesting expenditures from 16 rights groups in the country, which the state believes contributed to the youth-led antigovernment protests.

He demanded detailed information on all grantees over the past year, including approved programs, project budgets, disbursed amounts, and planned disbursements.

Similarly, the Kenyan government wanted to know the activities carried out by the grants rolled by the foundation to the Kenyan based NGO’s as well as any sanctions the Foundation plans to impose for violations of local laws or internal policies

“Thus, while we recognize the importance of maintaining an open civic space and respect for the principles of open government that we both share, the actions of some of your Grantees contravene the laws Kenya, including prohibition against incitement, hate speech, insurrection and mobilization using disinformation,“ read the letter by Sing’Oei in part to the Foundation President Darren Walker.

In July, President William Ruto publicly accused the donor of being responsible for the chaos witnessed in the country since June in what started as protests over the controversial Finance Bill.

“I am calling out Ford Foundation for sponsoring violence and anarchy in Kenya and we are telling them that they either style up or they leave,” Ruto charged Monday after weeks of protests.

The demonstrations degenerated into anti-government protests demanding the exit of the president.

Similar protests were underway in most towns in the country on Tuesday.

The Ford Foundation would later denounce the accusations, saying it is not responsible for sponsoring the chaos that has left more than 40 people, mainly youths, dead.

“We do not fund or sponsor the recent protests against the finance bill.” The foundation, which has been providing grants to civil and rights groups in Kenya for decades, emphasized its “strictly non-partisan policy for all of our grantmaking,” it said.

Dozens of people have been killed since the protests started, with the deadliest incident occurring on June 25, when angry crowds stormed parliament and police responded with live bullets.