Trump Administration Unveils New Global Health Model With $2.5B Kenya Pact

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday approved a five-year, $2.5-billion health cooperation pact with Kenya — the inaugural deal in what officials say will be a broad rollout of similarly structured agreements with countries viewed as strategically aligned with the president’s foreign policy priorities.

Kenyan President William Ruto and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed the agreement, which replaces the long-standing collection of health programs historically managed by the U.S. Agency for International Development. USAID’s dissolution earlier this year brought strong criticism from global health advocates, who warned that the abrupt change cut off funding to hundreds of initiatives supporting maternal and child health, nutrition programs, HIV/AIDS prevention, and other critical services across the developing world.

Rubio said the new pact is designed to “reinforce American leadership in global health” while reducing dependence and streamlining foreign aid systems that he argued had become inefficient. He also commended Kenya for its contributions to the international security mission attempting to stabilize Haiti amid widespread gang violence.

President Ruto praised the partnership and pledged that Kenya would maintain its role in Haiti as the current security response evolves into a more comprehensive mission. Under the funding arrangement, the United States will provide $1.7 billion, while Kenya will contribute the remaining $850 million. The agreement focuses on combating major infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, with a notable emphasis on faith-based health organizations. Still, any medical facility that is part of Kenya’s national insurance program will be eligible for support.

“This new framework marks a significant break from previous models and will transform health outcomes across the country,” said Ouma Oluga, Kenya’s principal secretary for medical services.

U.S. negotiators Jeremy Lewin and Brad Smith said that family-planning programs adhering to U.S. guidelines regarding abortion restrictions will qualify for funding. They added that the agreement prohibits discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals or sex workers.

Several other African countries are expected to adopt similar health agreements in the coming months. However, officials said Nigeria and South Africa — the continent’s two largest economies — are unlikely to join because of political disagreements with the Trump administration.

The decision to fold USAID’s functions into other parts of the government has caused widespread disruption across Africa, leading to the closure of health and nutrition programs, the loss of thousands of jobs for health workers, and setbacks to initiatives aimed at fighting hunger, countering extremism, and strengthening democratic institutions.