US Ambassador Meg Whitman Slams Ruto For Linking Ford Foundation To Anti-Govt Demos: "Inappropriate"

• On Tuesday, August 27, US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman strongly defended the activities of the Ford Foundation
• Whitman said it was wrong for President William Ruto and his allies to link the foundation to the anti-government demonstrations
• The US ambassador said the Ford Foundation is a charitable organisation that has supported many civil society organisations in Kenya since 1963

Amos Khaemba, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Nairobi - US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman has criticised the Kenya Kwanza administration for linking the Ford Foundation to the anti-government protests.

Why Meg Whitman thinks Ford Foundation was wrongly accused

Speaking on Citizen TV on Tuesday, August 27, Whitman defended the Ford Foundation, citing its track record as a charitable organisation in the country since its founding in 1963.

Whitman said President William Ruto was wrong to blame the foundation for the violent protests over the Finance Bill 2024.

"I thought that was absolutely wrong. The Ford Foundation has worked in this country for almost 60 years. They support many civil society organisations. Civil societies are very important to democracy alongside youths and religious leaders and others,” Whitman said.

The American ambassador said with time, the Kenya Kwanza administration would realise that the Ford Foundation had nothing to do with the demonstrations.

"I thought it was very inappropriate for the government to go after the Ford Foundation, I thought that was wrong. I think that in the end people will agree that the Ford Foundation had nothing to do with this," she added.

Whitman said she read malice in blaming the Ford Foundation for funding protests, owing to the fact that many US-based organisations, such as USAID, undertake similar activities.

She emphasised that the sole purpose of the foundation’s existence in Kenya was to support many civil society organisations.

What Ford Foundation said about claims of funding demos

As earlier reported, the Ford Foundation insisted that all their activities are conducted with transparency.

In a statement, the American private foundation indicated they had received a complaint letter from Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei.

The New York-based organisation reiterated that all its grantmaking is transparent, with details available on its website.

The organisation further explained that the site also provides a database to show where the funds are used.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke

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