The Ford Foundation has denied claims that it has been financing the anti-government protests in Kenya.
The U.S.-based charity organisation was responding to a letter from the Kenyan government written by Foreign Affairs PS Korir Sing’Oei.
Sing’Oei claimed the organisation was funding several groups that it claimed were involved in the demonstrations.
The letter said that between April 2023 and May 2024, several Non-Governmental recipients, including Africa Uncensored received huge funding.
Sing’Oei said that Africa Uncensored, Kenya Human Rights Commission, and Transparency International, received a total of USD 5.78 million (approximately Ksh.752 million) from the Ford Foundation.
The foundation on its website distanced itself from the accusations saying its grants undergo stringent protocols and only to organisations that strive for social justice and equitable development.
“As a charitable foundation with a global presence, our grantmaking is transparent and readily available on our website, www.fordfoundation.org. This includes a database showing where our funds go, as well as highlights from our rich history in East Africa and around the world,”
“While we continue to 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.” Ford Foundation said.
Ford Foundation is an American private foundation created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford.
According to its official website, the organisation was established to reduce poverty and injustice.
It also strives to strengthen democratic values, promote international cooperation and advance human achievement.
“We believe in the inherent dignity of all people. But around the world, too many people are excluded from the political, economic, and social institutions that shape their lives,” a statement on their website reads.
Following the deaths of Edsel Ford in 1943 and Henry Ford in 1947, Edsel’s eldest son, Henry Ford II, took over as president of the foundation.
