“U.S. Ambassador Jonathan Gration has advised Kenya to seek new sources of money to finance health programs,” Kenya’s the Star reports, adding, “Gration said projects initiated by donors will only be sustainable if the Kenyan government takes over.” According to the newspaper, Gration made the comments after launching a campaign called “Let’s Live,” which will focus on maternal and infant mortality, HIV/AIDS, non-communicable diseases and child health “to reduce preventable deaths in Kenya by 50 percent by December 2012.”

“Donors provide 34.5 percent of the total health expenditure in Kenya, according to the 2009/2010 National Health Accounts released by the ministries of Health and Medical Services,” the newspaper writes. “The largest donor is the U.S. government through the USAID, followed by U.K. through DFID and the Global Fund,” the Star notes (Muchangi, 10/11).