Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has faulted those for complaining about the executive orders made by US President Donald Trump and especially his freeze of aid.
Uhuru wondered why they were complaining, saying Trump has no reason to continue funding global programmes
"Why are you crying? It's not your government, it's not your country. You don't pay taxes in America," he said.
Uhuru was speaking during the East Africa Region Global Health Security Summit 2025 in Mombasa.
Uhuru said the freeze on funding is a wake-up for leaders to come up with a way to help Kenyans, without the aid.
"Tujiulize what we are going to do. Sasa ametoa hio pesa. (We should ask ourselves since the funding has been suspended what we should do to bridge the gap). What are we going to do to support ourselves?" he posed.
Uhuru emphasised that it is time for Kenya and the continent at large to use her resources for the right things, adding that they are being used for the wrong things.
Uhuru pointed out that the continent loses billions in purchasing weapons for war instead of channeling such resources to critical sectors such as health and education.
"Whether we like it or not, funding for these (pandemics) has to come from ourselves because we have to begin to re-prioritise what is important for us as Africans on the continent," he said.
"As Africans, we should not wait for others to come to our rescue. Our excitement when we watched CNN, BBC celebrate new vaccines being rolled out but none was coming to us. For any future pandemic, don't think they'll prioritise us, they give you the surplus, at times for free since they have sorted themselves first."
During his inauguration, Trump announced that the US had paused foreign aid for 90 days and went on to withdraw the country from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The orders resulted in the freezing of the President's
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program which has been crucial in
saving lives from HIV infections.
