We have nothing to hide about Ford Foundation funds

Investigative journalist John Allan Namu has confirmed that his outlet The organization received funding from the international NGO Ford Foundation because it insisted it had nothing to hide.

When The star He reached out moments after the Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Korir Sing’oei, lodged a formal complaint with the foundation, requesting among his demands the complete list of beneficiaries in the country; he referred us to a post he made on Thursday.

““I made my statement yesterday (Thursday) on X and I also put another one today… I tweeted in response to a post by blogger Cyprian Nyakundi, so you can use it,” he said.

In her post, Nyakundi had posted a screenshot of the Ford Foundation page and challenged it to confirm whether it actually received the funds.

The publication shows that the media organization (Mulika project) received a grant of $250,000 (33 million shillings).

Namu said that as an organization, they can account for all the funding they receive from donors for their work.

““It is true. We have never denied or hidden our sources of funding or alliances,” he said. in response to X’s post.

“I have always said that the proof of our intention is the work we do.”

Namu added that he is ready to defend all the work they have completed through the grants.

“I am willing to defend all the work we have done.”

The clarification came on the day the Kenyan government wrote to Ford Foundation President Darren Walker in a letter dated 1st of July8. List of 16 NGOs in relation to the protests.

Sing’oei said Kenya is concerned that some of these organisations are linked to the ongoing protests in the country.

“It is noteworthy that several of the beneficiaries mentioned below received a total of US$5.78 million (approximately Ksh 752 million) between April 2023 and May 2024, with unexplained accelerated funding amounting to US$1.49 million (approximately Ksh 194 million), during the last month alone,” Sing’oei said.

“It is deeply worrying that most of the beneficiaries have been at the centre of the protests against the Finance Bill and the subsequent anarchic mobilisations that have sought to disrupt the peace and security of the state,” he added.

Kenya now wants the Ford Foundation to clarify four key issues relating to its grantees.

These include providing full details of your beneficiaries over the past year, the programmes approved (particularly over the past three months), the budgets for each project, the amounts disbursed so far and what is planned to be disbursed.

“Please send us reports from your beneficiaries detailing the activities carried out, the cost of these activities and their beneficiaries,” Sing’Oe said of his second demand.

The PS also wants the Ford Foundation to share a report on its compliance with its No Lobbying Policy or a statement that this policy is not applicable to its activities in the country.

Kenya also wants the Ford Foundation to prescribe the sanctions it will impose for violations of the law or its internal policies.