• Ruto and Walker met and held consultations in New York on the sidelines of the ongoing 79th United Nations General Assembly.
•According to Sing'oei, the discussions centred around democratic governance and human rights.
Image: PCS
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei has shared details of the meeting between President William Ruto and Ford Foundation President Darren Walker.
Ruto and Walker met and held consultations in New York on the sidelines of the ongoing 79th United Nations General Assembly.
The Ford Foundation came under sharp scrutiny during the Gen Z protests in the country in June, with Ruto publicly censuring it for allegedly sponsoring the protests.
“Those behind sponsoring the chaos in the Republic of Kenya, I want to tell them shame on them! Because they are sponsoring violence against our democratic nation. I want to ask the Ford Foundation to tell us they are sponsoring violence for what benefit?” Ruto said during an event in Nakuru.
He even threatened to ban the organisation in the country.
“We are going to tell them to either style up or leave,” he said.
According to Sing'oei, the discussions centred around democratic governance and human rights.
He said the meeting highlighted Kenya’s dedication to upholding democratic values and the rule of law, especially in a global context marked by increasing democratic backsliding.
Both leaders acknowledged the critical need to protect democracy in Africa against the threats of disinformation and the misuse of digital platforms for anti-democratic purposes, Sing'oei said, directed at activist Boniface Mwangi.
Mwangi had reacted to Ruto’s post-meeting Walker, saying he had failed to retract his previous comments about the alleged organisation’s role.
“Both leaders acknowledged the critical need to protect democracy in Africa against the threats of disinformation and the misuse of digital platforms for anti-democratic purposes,” he said.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, opposition leader Raila Odinga, Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, National Security Adviser Monica Juma, Adan Mohamed and Sing'oei were also present in the meeting.
During the discussions, Sing'eo added that Walker praised Ruto for his vocal advocacy on international platforms concerning reforming global economic governance, addressing climate change, and regulating technology.
He expressed the Ford Foundation's commitment to supporting the Kenyan government in essential areas, underscoring the importance of collaborative efforts to address global challenges.
Ruto reciprocated his sentiments, expressing gratitude for the Ford Foundation’s longstanding investment in Kenya's development over the past 60 years.
He underscored the necessity to update the institution’s Host Country Agreement to establish a stronger framework for achieving shared objectives.
In July, the government wrote to the Foundation claiming some of the organisations it is funding have been at the centre of anti-government protests.
In the letter signed by Sing'oei, Kenya expressed its concerns 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 Sh752 million) between April 2023 and May 2024 - with unexplained expedited funding amounting to US$ 1.49 million (approximately Sh194 million) - over the last month alone," Sing'oei said in the letter dated July 18, 2024.
"Deeply concerning is that most of the Grantees have been at the centre of the anti-Finance Bill protests and the subsequent anarchic mobilizations that have sought to upend the peace and security of the state."
The organisation, he said, should provide 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.
In response, the organisation stated that the information is public and "readily accessible" on its website.
"As a charitable foundation with a global presence, our grant-making is transparent and readily available on our website," it said.