KCH statement on the US government’s decision to suspend USAID assistance and reinstate the global gag rule

Over the last few weeks, the inequalities within the development ecosystem have made themselves felt. In Kenya, where we are based, recently re-elected US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s decision to suspend USAID assistance with immediate effect has left a huge number of the more than 1.2 million people living with HIV asking health workers and health educators : “What will happen to us?”.?

At the same time, the Global Gag Rule has been reinstated. Once again, groups receiving US foreign aid assistance have been banned from engaging in legal abortion advocacy, service provision and counselling. The intended result is to force advocates and health workers to abandon the many people who want and need the lifesaving healthcare that is safe abortion access.

We are deeply saddened by the avoidable loss of lives, health and livelihoods that will result from both of these harmful decisions.??

Yet, the narrative being reinforced in this moment is an old one: those with power get to decide who among the vulnerable get to live or die - with impunity. And it is because it is an old, racist, imperial narrative, that we know what is required to contest it. Together we must generate a new narrative of hope and solidarity. This is a moment to stand up and defend our hard won rights. It is also an opportunity to envision how we can build solidarities that see us sharing resources and risk in order to meet our movements’ objectives; solidarities that name this attack on rights and life as an attempt to generate panic and paralysis and force us all to retreat into individualised solutions. We need to demonstrate courage and solidarity - refuse to be divided and ruled.

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What can this courage and solidarity look like? Where advice seekers are left stranded following the closure of their clinics or the unavailability of their typical providers, we must direct them to frontline community resources like Aunty Jane Hotline, Viya Health and Nena na Binti. And where we struggle to access resources, we must engage alternative resource-pooling approaches - Trans Queer Fund Ke shows that through crowdfunding and mutual aid we can channel resources to the most vulnerable amongst us. Where programs threaten to stall, we can and should collaborate across organisations to pool both human and financial resources to ensure we collectively meet our movements’ goals. In East Africa, Global Narrative Hive continues to weave connections and pool resources that have enabled us to produce strategic research to counter the anti-LGBTQ+ right. Where some of us are restricted from communicating about abortion, those of us who are less so can and should use our existing channels to amplify these restricted organisations’ ideas, stories and educational materials. Be in the KNOW, Love Matters Kenya, and Nimechanuka are local and regional resources you can share to ensure access to safe, accurate HIV and sexual and reproductive health information.?

As the impact of these policies continues to unfold, we must seize the moment to take the risks and weave the necessary alliances that will ensure we not only survive this bleak moment, but also strengthen our movements and ensure we achieve our goals.

With care,

The KCH Team.