The United States has announced a significant overhaul in how it will fund United Nations humanitarian operations, moving from individual project grants to consolidated, flexible pooled funds managed by OCHA. This policy shift, effective from December 30, is expected to greatly impact countries like Kenya, which hosts extensive UN humanitarian efforts.

• The U.S. will channel humanitarian aid through consolidated, flexible pooled funds, away from large numbers of individual grants, to align with U.S. priorities, focusing on "hyper-prioritized life-saving activities."
• Ambassador Mike Waltz, U.S. Representative to the United Nations, announced the changes, which stem from a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
• The new model aims to "nearly double the life-saving impact of each U.S. dollar spent" and potentially save American taxpayers Ksh245 billion (USD1.9 billion) compared with previous funding models, addressing concerns over "bureaucratic inefficiencies, duplication, and ideological creep."
• The U.S. pledged an initial Ksh258 billion (USD2 billion) to fund life-saving humanitarian assistance in 2026.