Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital staff sent on unpaid leave due to US aid freeze
The programme, which has been providing support to thousands of HIV/AIDS patients, employs between 2,000 and 5,000 permanent and casual workers across its main office in Eldoret and various regional sites.
The AMPATH Uzima project, a US government-funded initiative based at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, has placed all its staff on unpaid leave following the suspension of funding by President Donald Trump’s administration.
The programme, which has been providing support to thousands of HIV/AIDS patients, employs between 2,000 and 5,000 permanent and casual workers across its main office in Eldoret and various regional sites, mainly in counties within Rift Valley, Nyanza, and Western regions.
A letter dated January 31, signed by USAID AMPATH Uzima Chief of Party Sylvester Kimaiyo, directed staff to proceed on unpaid leave starting February 1, 2025.
“To comply with the directive, all staff are requested to proceed for unpaid leave with effect from February 1, 2025,” Kimaiyo said in the letter.
The move follows a directive issued in a letter dated January 24, 2025, titled Notice of Implementation of Executive Order on Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid.
During this period, staff have been instructed to remain accessible via email or phone for urgent communication.
“Further updates regarding the resumption of work or other instructions will be communicated as soon as possible,” reads the letter.
Kimaiyo noted that the measure was necessary to align with the executive order, thanking staff for their cooperation.
“We sincerely appreciate your cooperation and understanding during this period,” he added.
MTRH Chief Executive Officer Philip Kirwa confirmed that AMPATH Uzima staff, who were impacted by the stoppage of work orders from USAID, have been placed on leave.
“Following the stoppage of work order from the USAID from the American government, most of the staff and AMPATH have been given leave, and currently, the treatment and management of patients is ongoing from the staff who are employed by the various agencies, including ourselves. And therefore, patients are not disadvantaged,” Kirwa said.
Awaiting guidance
He added that they are awaiting further guidance on the issue of staff directly funded by USAID.
“We are waiting for the guidance on the issue of the staff who are directly under or funded by USAID,” Kirwa noted.
The suspension of funding is expected to cut millions of shillings previously channelled to AMPATH to support HIV/AIDS patients.
National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi said the government may be forced to revise the development budget to cushion critical programmes affected by the US funding freeze.
“We will have no alternative but to slash part of the development budget and use the funds to finance critical programmes that will be starved of cash if the US stops foreign aid,” Mbadi said in Naivasha during MPs retreat.
He, however, assured that measures were being put in place to prevent the paralysis of key health initiatives, including the fight against HIV/AIDS.
“There is no cause for alarm as I have started to put measures in place to ensure that health programmes that depended heavily on foreign aid are not paralysed,” he said.
The CS emphasised that the government is committed to ensuring the continuity of life-saving health initiatives but noted that Kenya was still awaiting official communication from Washington regarding the funding freeze.
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