Additional Context: Devex journalist Ayenat Mersie looked into the impacts of U.S. aid cuts in Kenya one year after the initial funding freezes and terminations. According to her reporting, the secondary effects emerging from the abrupt reduction in U.S. funding have added to ongoing debt pressures, exposing strain in Kenya’s pastoralist economies and public health system.

A peacebuilding specialist told Devex of one five-year initiative, launched in 2023 and budgeted at roughly $24 million across nine northern counties, that focused on improving water governance, expanding access, and supporting water for productive use — including for pastoralists and small-scale farmers. In Isiolo County, that translated into irrigation canals, upgraded boreholes, extended pipelines toward underserved settlements, and lower operating costs through solarised pumps. The program also funded joint planning efforts that brought county officials and aid partners together before dry seasons deepened. It was terminated in early 2025, ahead of the drought season.

Source: Devex