US’ loss, China’s gain: Aid cuts may open doors for Beijing in Africa.

Last week, the Chinese government pledged a Ksh1.8 billion ($14 million) grant to Kenya, one of the biggest development assistance packages from Beijing in the recent years.

The deal signed by Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi and Chinese ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan is meant to upgrade five key hospitals across the country.

But the announcement was pivotal, coming at a time the US, Kenya’s main foreign aid donor, is cutting back on most of the money it used to give.

The Donald Trump administration has indicated it is truncating 5,341 contracts, initially provided mostly through USAid, worth some $75 billion. It greenlighted another 898 programmes worth $78 billion, although most of them will end within the next 11 months.

The decision which all but ends the existence of USAid, has policy experts warning of a bleak future. USAid spent $32.5 billion in Africa in the 2024 fiscal year, although, overall, the US sent some $41 billion to sub-Saharan Africa to fund humanitarian responses and programmes, such as health and climate initiatives.

Ethiopia was the top African recipient of USAid funding in 2023, with $1.37 billion, Somalia ($973 million) and DR Congo (943 million). Kenya received $436 million, with some of it going into refugee camps serving people from South Sudan and Somalia.

Source: Zawya