H, a clinical officer at a Kangemi Health Centre on the outskirts of Nairobi, was one of thousands of Kenyan healthcare workers who were laid off as a result of the USAID funding freeze.
“I was the one who was paying the school fees for my little kids, my children. The family was looking up to me. With that shock — now there’s no job at all,” said H, who requested to go by his first initial out of concern for his privacy. “I've been just in the house, just figuring out what to do next. Putting my life in order and just trying to encourage myself.”
The fallout from the 90-day U.S. foreign aid freeze and stop-work order is hitting health workers across Africa, with thousands already laid off and many more at risk of losing their jobs. In Kenya alone, around 54,000 health care workers could be cut as USAID-funded health programs shut down, with some hospitals at risk of closure, according to a statement by prominent Kenyan politician Mutula Kilonzo Jr.
About the author
Ayenat Mersie
Ayenat Mersie is a Global Development Reporter for Devex. Previously, she worked as a freelance journalist for publications such as National Geographic and Foreign Policy and as an East Africa correspondent for Reuters.
