The government has said it is yet to receive an official response from the Ford Foundation regarding the issues it wants addressed.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei acknowledged that while the US-based charity organization has issued a brief to the ‘media’ in relation to it, they are still expecting a formal communication from them.
“We expect Ford Foundation to respond formally through the normal channels of communication. I am sure they put out a small statement to the media saying all the information is out there,” he said.
“Certainly, that information out there does not contain the details that we are asking for in terms of providing us the content on what the projects are about, proposals, and who the beneficiaries are.”
Speaking during a TV interview, Sing’oei noted that under the US police, the Foundation is not allowed to carry out lobbying activities whether in the US or other countries.
“This is a conversation between Kenya and Ford Foundation and it is a request for information and requests for accountability and it is a very respectful conversation,” he added.
Last week, Sing’oei wrote to the Foundation’s president Darren Walker claiming some of the organisations it is funding have been at the center of anti-government protests.
He stated that Kenya is concerned that some of the organizations 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 M (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-FinanceBill 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.
The PS also wants it 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.
In the statement on its website, the Foundation denied any involvement, emphasizing transparency in all its activities.
The information, it stated, 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.
This, it has added, includes the database of where its funds are channeled to as well as the “highlights from our rich history in East Africa and around the world”.
