The government is yet to substantiate President Ruto’s statement accusing the Ford Foundation of sponsoring protests in Kenya, even as more demonstrations rocked at least 24 counties a day after the Head of State’s warning.
On Monday, the President accused the US-based agency of instigating the youth demonstrations that have rocked the country for the past month.
“We ask the Ford Foundation to explain to Kenyans its role in the recent protests. We will call out all those who are bent on rolling back our hard-won democracy,” President Ruto said in a public address after launching a project in Nakuru County.
He repeated the accusations on his official X account.
State House spokesperson Hussein Mohamed and government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said the government had actionable information.
Allow the investigations
“You will see some action very soon,” Mohamed told Nation.Africa.
Mwaura said, “The President has more information on what is going on in the country since he is the Head of State and government. Kindly allow the investigations to go on without any form of interference. The government will protect the integrity and sovereignty of the nation from any aggression, whether external or internal.”
Nation.Africa had asked them specific questions, including whether the government had any evidence that the Ford Foundation, politicians, civil society groups or “foreign powers”, who have been accused of sponsoring the protests over the past four weeks, were linked to the demonstrations.
Another question was about the specific investigating agency looking into these allegations.
On Monday, police spokesperson Resila Onyango told Nation.Africa that she was not aware of any active investigation into the protest sponsorship allegations made by President Ruto and many of his now-fired cabinet secretaries.
Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin did not return our calls or respond to text messages asking whether his office was investigating the alleged financiers of the protests.
Identify the beneficiaries
On Tuesday, the Ford Foundation also did not respond to Nation.Africa’s questions on why it believes President Ruto may have singled out the 88-year-old group, the recipients of its funding and the criteria it used to identify the beneficiaries.
However, the Ford Foundation released a statement on Monday denying allegations of funding protests.
“While we acknowledge the right of Kenyans to peacefully advocate for a just and equitable country, we repudiate any actions or speech that are hateful or advocate violence against any institution, individual, or community. We do not fund or sponsor the recent protests against the finance bill and have a strictly non-partisan policy for all of our grant making,” Ford Foundation director of strategic communications, Tolu Onafowokan, said in a statement.
“As we noted during the Kenyan state visit to the United States this past May, we are committed to building on the legacy of the Ford Foundation’s more than 60 years in the region so that Kenyans can unlock opportunities that extend to all.”
The President’s comments have drawn attention to the quality of the information his government is relying on to counter the mass protests, as no evidence has been provided to back up the many contradictory claims made over the past four weeks.
He has accused various groups, including civil society organisations, politicians and foreign powers, of plotting to destabilise his government by supporting the protests.
At one point, however, the President had thanked the youth for sparking important conversations the country needed to have about governance.
Ford Foundation
President Ruto’s accusations could shake Kenya’s 60-year relationship with the Ford Foundation.
The Ford Foundation has invested millions in Kenya over several years, funding government projects such as the Judiciary’s Social Transformation through Access to Justice.
The group also introduced Kenya to the Open Government Partnership, a UN-backed initiative that aims to promote better governance and end corruption in member states. The Ford Foundation has also offered millions in grants to young creatives.
Source link : https://nation.africa/kenya/news/state-house-under-pressure-over-protest-sponsors–4693278
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Publish date : 2024-07-19 05:47:50
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