President William Ruto on Tuesday, September 9 made an unexpected u-turn on his stance on the Ford Foundation.
In a statement on his X account, President Ruto praised the American foundation after he held talks with the foundation’s president, Darren Walker in New York, USA.
“Kenya appreciates the Ford Foundation’s commitment to safeguarding our democracy and supporting Kenya’s calls for reforms in the global economic institutions, climate action, and modern technology regulation. Held talks with the President of the Ford Foundation Darren Walker in New York,” Ruto stated.
This comes weeks after the Head of State accused the foundation of sponsoring the violent protests that led to the destruction of property and looting of shops.
Speaking at a roadside rally in Kuresoi South, Nakuru County on July 15, 2024, Ruto said the government would not spare any organization that sponsored violence in the streets.
“Those who are behind the sponsoring of chaos in Kenya, shame on them because they are sponsoring violence against our democratic nation.
“I want to ask the people at the Ford Foundation, what do they gain from giving out money to cause violence?” Ruto posed.
He added, “We are going to call them out and we are going to tell them if they are not interested in democracy in Kenya, if they are going to sponsor violence and anarchy we are going to call them out and we are going to tell them they either style up or they leave.”
Following the allegations, the government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanded that the Foundation provide full details of beneficiaries, approved programs, budgets, and disbursements over the past year.
The Ford Foundation in a response denied any involvement in sponsoring the protests, reiterating its commitment to human rights and social justice initiatives.
“While we acknowledge the right of Kenyans to peacefully advocate for a just and equitable country, we repudiate any actions or speech that are hateful or advocate violence against any institution, individual, or community.
“We did not fund or sponsor the recent protests against the finance bill and have a strictly non-partisan policy for all of our grantmaking,” the Ford Foundation said in a statement.
Also Read: From Russia to Ford Foundation: The Confusing Sponsors of Kenya’s Protests
