Anglican Church of Kenya Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit has said US President Donald Trump’s move to freeze foreign aid is a wake-up call for leaders in the country.
Archbishop Sapit said the move should challenge our leaders to prepare how they will face the crisis head-on and be self–reliant.
He said the decision to freeze foreign aid should make the Kenyan citizens and the leaders think out of the box on how it can address its pressing issues.,
“Trump’s disruption of the rest of the world must be a wake-up call for us to be able to think. Every other economy grew not in easy times. When faced with a crisis we think deeper. I hope we can now think deeper,” he said
“Partially, I thank Trump for the disruptions. Let us be disrupted so that we can think properly and manage our resources properly.”
He spoke on Wednesday at St Paul’s University in Limuru where he officially launched the Centre for Anglican Women’s Leadership and Research in Africa (CAWLRA).
Archbishop Sapit also encouraged Kenyan leaders to take note of the move and ensure public resources are well-managed for the good of citizens
“The biggest problem to our development is greed, particularly to us leaders. We take away resources from people and instead of using it for development we focus on collecting for ourselves,” he said.
“We should be reminded that no matter how much we amass, we will leave it behind.”
He at the same time urged leaders to focus on their development agenda and deal with issues of tribalism and corruption while empowering the citizens.
He said the country's climate situation makes it favourable for Kenyans to grow food and ensure self-sustainability.
His sentiments echo similar remarks made by Former President Uhuru Kenyatta who asked Africa to prudently use its available resources and tame overreliance on foreign aid.
“This is a wake-up call for you to say what are we going to do to help ourselves because nobody is going to continue holding out a hand there to give you,” he said.
The remarks by Archbishop Sapit came on the very day the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced it would place all its staff worldwide on administrative leave starting Friday.
The aid arm of US foreign policy also revealed that it will recall all American citizens working with USAID from overseas assignments.
USAID said staff leave will begin shortly before midnight on Friday as the wide-ranging implications of President Donald Trump’s drastic policies targeting the humanitarian agency take effect.
The agency clarified that the leave will apply to all USAID direct-hire personnel, except for designated staff responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership, and specially designated programmes.
"Essential personnel expected to continue working will be informed by agency leadership by Thursday, February 6, 2025, at 3:00 PM (EST)," part of the USAID statement posted on its official website reads.
This decision comes as the potential winding down of the agency threatens the jobs of over 35,000 employees working on USAID-funded programs in Kenya, with thousands more affected globally.
