SAM’S SENSE: The irony in the Ford Foundation correspondence by PS Sing'oei

Two months ago, President William Ruto was welcomed to the White House by President Joe Biden of the US. It was at the State visit of the Kenyan President that concluded in a State dinner, the two Presidents tossing to long friendship between the two nations.

Days later, as Kenyans and the media were busy looking for details of what concessions were reached between the two nations, it is Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Dr. Korir Sing’oei who saved the day, by sharing the White House list of concessions on his social media handle.

A week ago, PS Sing’oei wrote a letter to the Ford Foundation, one of the global institutions that have been supporting communities and select institutions in the country for various programs.

The PS was complaining that; “Despite various concessions by the government of Kenya (relating to the Finance Bill fallout), demands of protestors had morphed and escalated into attempts of toppling the country’s democratically elected and constitutionally sanctioned government under the guise of the right to demonstrate and assemble."

The PS complained that the Foundation had for the preceding one month expedited funding of approximately Ksh.194 million. His concern was that recipients of the grants were at the centre of the anti-Finance Bill protests, accusing them of turning to anarchic mobilization. The PS listed 16 institutions among them independent media and civil society organizations.

I went back to PS Korir’s tweet on the 23rd of May. The fact sheet - on the Kenya State visit to the United States - which I will quote and ask you to keenly follow the flow.

First, “the two leaders’ (Ruto and Biden) agenda showcases how our ties (Kenya and the US) deliver tangible benefits to the people of our nations in areas including Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance.”

Under democracy, governance and human rights, the fact sheet read; “Our countries endeavour to guard against the erosion of political checks and balances, counter misinformation and disinformation, mitigate hate-fueled violence targeting members of vulnerable communities, and tackle corruption by building transparent and accountable governance systems.”

The fact sheet followed; “The State Visit highlights new areas of cooperation to safeguard rights and freedoms in the face of rising authoritarianism, expand avenues for dialogue, and elevate our shared global commitment to protecting democracy.”

On delivering democracy, the White House stated; “Additional support for activities in Kenya under the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal build on Kenya’s important work as a member of the 14-country Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse, which is advancing global policies to address online safety for women and girls, including targeted violence against women political and public figures.”

Let me now turn to, “Supporting Independent Civil Society,” contained in the fact sheet from the White House as the concessions between Kenya and the US. And this is a long one, which says that; “President Ruto executed on May 9 the legal instruments required to operationalize the 2013 Public Benefits Organization Act, which institutionalizes groundbreaking, global best practices for civil society protections.

The United States announced 700,000 dollars in new assistance to support this effort in addition to the $2.7 million, that the United States is providing to improve civil society engagement in and oversight of governance processes. That, the U.S. Agency for International Development (US-AID) also announced an additional $1.3 million youth empowerment program aimed at strengthening political engagement at the subnational level and $600,000 to advance disability inclusion.”

There was another short paragraph titled, “Promoting Human Rights”. The fact sheet stated that the United States and Kenya affirm their commitment to upholding the human rights of all. That together, they stand with people around the world defending their rights against the forces of autocracy.

That Kenya and the United States commit to bilateral dialogues that reinforce commitments to human rights, as well as a series of security and human rights technical engagements with counterparts in the Kenyan military, police, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs aimed at strengthening collaboration on security sector governance, Atrocity Prevention, and Women, Peace and Security in Kenya and regionally!

The two nations also agreed to support investigative journalism: that the United States seeks to amplify Kenya’s leadership in building Africa’s digital resilience by supporting linkages between, note this, well-known international investigative organizations and select Kenyan NGOs, media outlets, and citizen journalists to build up Nairobi as a regional hub for exposing issues in the public interest.

The fact sheet stated that this support also helps journalists in their pursuit of public information. That Pursuing these efforts in Kenya, (which is) a regional media and technology leader – positively impacts East Africa and the broader continent, particularly as Kenyan recipients connect with counterparts in the region.

Now this is just part of the fact sheet on the Kenya State Visit to the United States, published on the White House website, and shared on X by Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary.