The government of Kenya has listed 16 Non-governmental organisations in connection to the protests that wreaked havoc in the country in the last month.
Foreign Affairs PS Korir Sing'oei in a letter to Ford Foundation President Darren Walker said some of the organisations funded by the Ford Foundation have been at the center of anti-government protests.
Sing'oei said Kenya is concerned that some of the organisations linked to the protest spent millions of shilling in the last month in an unexplainable manner.
"It is noteworthy that several of your Grantees below mentioned received a total of US$ 5.78 Million (approximately Kenya Shillings 752 Million) between April 2023 and May 2024 - with unexplained expedited funding amounting to US$ 1.49 M (approximately Kenya shillings 194 million) - over the last month alone," Sing'oei said in a letter dated July 18, 2024.
"Deeply concerning is that most of the Grantees have been at the centre of the Anti-FinanceBill protests and the subsequent anarchic mobilizations that have sought to upend the peace and security of the state."
Sing'oei said the funds disbursed to non-state recipients are substantial and must be prudently used to “serve legitimate purposes or risk abuse to aid nefarious ends”.
“While we recognise 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 of Kenya, including the prohibition against incitement, hate speech, insurrection and mobilisation using disinformation,” the PS stated.
He added that the conduct of the NGOs also fundamentally flouts Ford Foundation's Non- Lobbying Policy.
Kenya now wants the Ford Foundation to clear the air on four key issues regarding their grantees.
They include providing full details of their Grantees over the last year, the programmes approved (particularly over the last three months), budgets for each project, the amounts so far disbursed and what is pipelined for disbursement.
"Furnish us with Reports from your Grantees detailing the activities carried out, the cost of these activities and their beneficiaries," Sing'Oe stated about its second demand.
The PS also wants the Ford Foundation to share a report on the Ford Foundation’s compliance with its Non-Lobbying Policy or a statement that this policy is inapplicable to its activities in the country.
Kenya at the same time wants the Ford Foundation to prescribe any sanctions it will impose for breaches of the law or their internal policies.
Kenya regretted that the recent protests had led to the loss of lives as well as destruction of the property despite the government conceding to demands that informed the protests at its early stages.
"These protests began as efforts aimed at resisting the government’s revenue-raising proposals contained in the Finance Bill, an annual legislation mandated to implement the national budget," Sing'oei said.
"Despite various concessions by the Government, the demands of the protestors have morphed and escalated into attempts at toppling the country’s democratically elected and constitutionally sanctioned government under the guise of the right to demonstrate and assemble."
We could not mention the NGOs at this stage for legal reasons.