Kenya faces crisis as Trump’s Executive Order to cut supply of HIV, malaria drugs

The Trump administration in the U.S. on Tuesday moved to halt the supply of lifesaving drugs for HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis in countries supported by US-AID.

A memo sent to contractors and partners working with US-AID instructed them to stop work immediately, as part of a broader freeze on U.S. aid and funding that began after Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

This signals the end of the life-saving PEPFAR program, a casualty of the new order from Washington. PEPFAR has been crucial in saving lives and preventing millions of HIV infections.

In Kenya alone, it funds projects focused on reducing HIV infections and providing inclusive access to treatment, from testing to management and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

In Kenya, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) allocated Ksh.43 billion from October 2024 to September 2025. The funding cut, according to stakeholders in the health sector, could disrupt HIV treatment, putting patients at risk of becoming ill and spreading the virus. It could also lead to the emergence of drug-resistant strains.

While the impact is significant, not just for Kenya but for other African countries as well, the Kenyan government has urged citizens to stay calm. Starting in December 2024, Kenya began transitioning to alternative funding sources for HIV management.

Health CS Deborah Barasa says the government is exploring alternative funding after the U.S. withdrew from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and stopped HIV-related aid.

Speaking in Mombasa at the East Africa Health Summit, CS Barasa affirmed that the government is mapping out the areas most affected by Trump’s executive order, urging that Africa must build resilient health systems.

“I have tasked the various state departments and programmes that will be affected by this, so that we can be able to map out and look at the impact in matters finance, human resource etc. and with this we will come with a concrete way forward in terms of interventions which we will share with the Cabinet,” she said.

USAID and Kenya have worked together since 2003 under the PEPFAR program, providing HIV testing kits, medicines, and medical supplies. This partnership has helped prevent approximately 270,000 HIV-related deaths and 26 million others globally.