Times Insider
After the Trump administration cut much of U.S. foreign aid, a reporter wanted to understand how it would impact one of Uganda's most vulnerable communities.
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For all of East Africa, American aid is a lifeline.
The region receives billions of dollars in funding each year, which feeds Sudan, provides malaria treatment in Kenya, and supports communities caught at the intersection of conflict and climate change in Somalia and Ethiopia. So when President Trump announced a freeze on U.S. aid in January, I reached out to one community that would quickly feel the terrible impact of those cuts: Uganda’s LGBTQ community.
As a New York Times correspondent in East Africa, I have covered the plight of this population closely for the past two years, particularly since the passage of Uganda's draconian anti-gay law, which carries the death penalty in some cases and calls for life in prison for those who engage in same-sex relationships.
In the months leading up to and following the law’s implementation in 2023, gay Ugandans reported a surge in violent, state-sanctioned attacks and harassment. I received calls and texts from crying Ugandans who were afraid to leave their homes. I interviewed a gay rights activist who was stabbed in a homophobic attack. In a safe house in Kenya, I spent time with Ugandan LGBTQ people who had fled after facing threats.
But one thing remained constant: American leaders, including President Biden, stood up for gay Ugandans. Aid poured in from the U.S. to help them stay healthy and safe. And the Ugandan government — despite enshrining discrimination against LGBT people in law — ensured they had access to life-saving medications, including HIV treatment, because it helped control the spread of disease.
By the time I arrived in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, in February, the situation had changed dramatically. Officials at the U.S. Embassy in Uganda and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who had always been willing to speak on the record or in the background, were demurring. Many said they did not want to talk or even meet privately for fear of being fired.
Ugandan activists were in trouble, too. Offices that had once housed dozens of staff were now nearly empty. Clinics offering life-saving medications were closed. And the few activists and counselors still working were inundated with desperate pleas for help from all corners of the green country.
