US move puts funding of aid groups, climate and security at risk

UN complex in Gigiri, Nairobi. [File, Standard]

The United States’ withdrawal strikes at the core pillars of Kenya’s development, security and global standing.

Direct annual funding at risk from UN and affiliated programmes alone is estimated at $250–350 million (Sh32–45 billion), excluding the wider shock to Nairobi’s service economy and the erosion of Kenya’s diplomatic capital as Africa’s multilateral hub.

UN agencies with direct operations in Kenya face the heaviest blow.

UN-Habitat and UNEP, both headquartered in Nairobi, anchor Kenya’s global stature in urban development and environmental diplomacy. The US is a major donor to both. Funding cuts risk downsizing operations, undermining slum upgrading, climate-resilient cities and green science programmes, and weakening Nairobi’s standing as the world’s environmental capital. Direct UN-Habitat project value alone stands at $15–25 million annually.

Across the country, programme impacts would be immediate. UNFPA faces cuts to reproductive health, maternal care and gender-based violence prevention, particularly in marginalised counties ($10–15 million at risk). UN Women risks losing core funding for women’s political participation and grassroots empowerment ($5–8 million).

The International Trade Centre—vital to Kenya’s coffee, tea, horticulture and SME exports—faces reduced market access and technical support ($8–12 million).

Kenya’s policy capacity would also suffer. Unctad and the Economic Commission for Africa provide critical trade, debt and macroeconomic analysis that shapes Kenya’s positions in global forums. The UN Democracy Fund faces contraction, cutting flexible grants that sustain civil society and electoral transparency ($2–4 million). Peacebuilding support in fragile border and arid counties is threatened as the Peacebuilding Fund’s Kenya portfolio of about $15 million shrinks.

Overall, $60–90 million (Sh7.8–11.7 billion) in direct UN programme value is at risk.

Beyond the UN system, the impact widens. Education Cannot Wait funding—over $12 million —supports schooling for refugees and drought-affected communities. Counter-terrorism platforms such as the Global Counterterrorism Forum and the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law underpin training for Kenya’s police, prosecutors and judges.

Climate and conservation efforts suffer as support to IRENA, IUCN and the IPCC weakens, slowing renewable energy investment and undermining access to climate finance.

A further $20–30 million in non-UN programmes is endangered.

Finally, US withdrawal weakens global systems Kenya depends on: The UNFCCC, biodiversity and forest-finance mechanisms, and migration governance forums. The cumulative effect is clear—reduced funding, diminished influence and a strategic downgrading of Kenya’s role on the global stage.