Kenya stops US election education program ahead of polls
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NAIROBI- Kenya has terminated local operations of the U.S.-funded International Foundation for Electoral Systems, just months before this East African country holds its next presidential election.
Fazul Mohamed, executive director of the agency that regulates non-governmental groups, said in a letter to the U.S. government's aid agency that it has ended the $20 million IFES program for electoral education for Kenya's upcoming general election. The letter said IFES is not a registered NGO and all foreigners working there were doing so illegally.
In a speech last week, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta claimed that money coming into the country in the guise of supporting good governance or civic education is being used to influence Kenyans' electoral choices.
Kenyatta has accused opposition leader Raila Odinga of conspiring with foreign countries to remove his administration. Kenyatta came to power in 2013 amid a wave of resentment at perceived attempts by the West to influence elections.
