The US has signed an agreement with Kenya as part of its ‘America First’ global health initiative

Under a new five-year deal struck Thursday, the United States will give Kenya’s health system over $1.6 billion. This is the first agreement of its kind made possible by the Trump administration’s reform of foreign aid.

In September, the administration unveiled a new “America First Global Health Strategy” that urges developing countries to take a more active role in combating diseases like polio, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis and to eventually move from aid to self-sufficiency.

Kenyan President William Ruto and Secretary of State Marco Rubio inked a bilateral compact whereby Kenya promised to raise its own health spending by $850 million over the course of five years. According to U.S. officials, similar agreements are anticipated to be signed by other African nations in the days ahead.

The elimination of the U.S. Agency for International Development earlier this year is followed by the new U.S. model for global health.

According to government foreign assistance data, the United States gave $440 million to health and population initiatives in Kenya in 2024, the year before the Trump administration slashed foreign aid. Of that amount, $310 million was used to combat HIV/AIDS.

According to Rubio, the new strategy would divert funds from the “NGO industrial complex,” which he claimed appropriated a disproportionate amount of US aid meant to assist patients.

He declared, “We’re not doing this anymore,” during Thursday’s signing ceremony.

Through the health agreement, U.S. funding from non-governmental organizations will be transferred to the Kenyan government, which will progressively assume accountability for health workers who were first supported by the United States. In terms of government reimbursement, it also demands that faith-based providers be given the same consideration as private providers.

Additionally, Rubio expressed gratitude to Kenya for spearheading a gang-suppression mission in Haiti and urged other nations to help stabilize the Caribbean country.

In addition to applauding the Trump administration’s health initiative and echoing that call on Haiti, Ruto also credited previous U.S. help for saving millions of Kenyan lives.

“I assure you that every shilling and every dollar will be spent efficiently, effectively, and accountably,” Ruto stated.