Countries that benefit from the United States Foreign Aid including Kenya can breathe a sigh of relief after a federal court in the US paused President Donald Trump's freeze on foreign aid.

During his inauguration, his first order of business as president, Trump on January 20, 2025  issued an Executive Order (EO) pausing U.S. foreign development assistance for 90 days to foreign countries.

This decision put countries that benefited from the aid, especially in Africa, including Kenya, in limbo, threatening the health sector and jobs that largely depended on the funding.

However, there is a ray of hope for these countries after a court ruling by US District Judge Amir Ali on February 13, 2025, ordered the continuation of funding for any contracts, grants, or loans that were in place at the end of the Biden administration.

US President Donald Trump signing an Executive Order in the Oval Office, January 20, 2025.

Photo

White House

"Consistent with the reasoning above, it is hereby ordered that Defendants Marco Rubio, the US Department of State, the US Agency for International Development, and the Office of Management and Budget are temporarily enjoined from enforcing or giving effect to any directives that implemented ‘Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid,’" the judgment read in part.

Judge Amir Ali issued the order on Thursday in the US District Court in Washington in a lawsuit brought by two health organisations that receive US funding for programmes abroad.

The judge has prevented the president from suspending, pausing, or otherwise obstructing the allocation or disbursement of appropriate foreign assistance funds in connection with any grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, loans, or other federal foreign assistance awards in existence as of January 19, 2025.

Thousands of workers whose jobs were in jeopardy due to the freeze now have a reason to smile, as the judge blocked the issuance, implementation, enforcement, or effectuation of termination, suspension, or stop-work orders related to foreign aid.

In his order, Ali noted that the Trump administration had argued it needed to halt funding for the thousands of US Agency for International Development (USAID) programmes abroad to conduct a thorough review of each initiative and determine whether it should be eliminated.

However, according to the judge, administration officials had not provided any explanation as to why a blanket suspension of all congressionally appropriated foreign aid— which sent shockwaves and disrupted contracts with thousands of nonprofit groups, businesses, and others— was a rational prerequisite for reviewing the programmes.

The freeze by Trump had caused thousands under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to lose jobs.

Patients including those with HIV/AIDs and other ailments depending on the aid were also at risk of lacking medicines.

The move had elicited mixed reactions globally, with a section of African leaders including Kenya's former President Uhuru Kenyatta agreeing with Trump and challenging African leaders to use the opportunity to foster independence and look for solutions without depending on foreign aid.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID)flag, January 16, 2025.

Photo

USAID Kenya