Trump USAID Cuts Leave Unfinished Kenya Dams to Trigger Floods

Bloomberg Originals

Abruptly abandoning a $217,000 irrigation project in Kenya broke local drainage systems, driving severe floods and disease without producing the promised budget savings.

AI-assisted summary of The Hidden Cost of Trump's USAID Cuts | Bloomberg Investigates — original source. Check the original for full context.

Source published: 2026-07-31

Detailed notes

## Background Published by Bloomberg Originals on YouTube on July 27, 2026, this video report from the award-winning series Bloomberg Investigates examines the fallout of the abrupt dismantling of USAID by Donald Trump and Elon Musk. According to the page description, the episode travels to Kenya to uncover how abandoned infrastructure and unfinished water initiatives have left vulnerable communities facing severe flooding, disease, and financial ruin.

## TL;DR Following the Trump administration's rapid cancellation of USAID programs, Bloomberg Investigates used satellite data, spatial mapping, and internal documents to examine the consequences on the ground in Kenya. The abrupt halt of the Kamlenza Irrigation Scheme and 25 other active water and hygiene projects left half-built canals without control gates, causing stagnant water to submerge local crops and trigger outbreaks of severe diarrhea. Although the administration framed the budget cuts as eliminating wasteful spending, field data and former agency staff reveal massive financial wastage and severe humanitarian hazards, with over 80 water projects canceled globally affecting 11 million people.

## Atmosphere & style The video carries a somber, investigative, and emotionally grounded tone, balancing rigorous data analysis with intimate human stories. Striking visuals of waterlogged, rotting crops and abandoned construction sites evoke a quiet sense of tragedy and frustration among local Kenyan farmers. The host and former USAID officials speak with stark candor and deep disillusionment, creating a tense narrative arc that contrasts detached high-level political rhetoric with devastating on-the-ground consequences.

## Key takeaways - [00:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=3s) President Donald Trump systematically dismantled USAID, claiming foreign aid must strictly serve U.S. national interests, while critics warn the cuts risk tens of millions of lives globally. - [00:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=3s) Former USAID staffers reveal that despite promises of a contract review, the administration completely bypassed internal assessment dashboards and canceled projects overnight. - [00:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=3s) USAID's budget accounted for only 0.6% to 0.7% of the total annual U.S. federal budget. - [03:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=221s) Bloomberg Investigates combined satellite mapping and internal documents to show how abandoned civil engineering projects create severe new hazards when left without supervision. - [04:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=291s) The sudden halt of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) programs left essential water infrastructure in chaos across Kenya. - [04:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=291s) In the Kamlenza Irrigation Scheme, unfinished canal construction without sluice gates caused uncontrolled water flow, drowning nearby banana fields and rotting crops. - [04:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=291s) Completing the Kamlenza project would have cost $217,000, while finishing all 26 halted WASH projects in Kenya required around $2 million. - [07:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=430s) Despite claims of saving taxpayer money, field data and former officials report that abandoning active construction sites resulted in massive financial waste. - [10:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=602s) Satellite and radar analysis of the 2026 Kimorigo deluge proved seasonal rainfall was normal, but incomplete infrastructure directly intensified standing floodwaters. - [10:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=602s) The stagnant, uncontrolled flooding triggered an immediate surge in severe diarrhea cases among young children in the region. - [14:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=857s) Trump administration officials defended the strategy by framing foreign policy as purely transactional, dismissing soft power as a media narrative. - [14:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=857s) Globally, the administration canceled at least 80 water projects, stripping an estimated 11 million people of planned clean water access.

## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=3s) Devastating Agricultural Loss in Kenya

In rural Kenya, a local farmer walks through waterlogged, dying crops, holding up a banana plant whose roots have completely rotted due to stagnant, uncontrollable flooding. "Everything has dried," he laments, explaining that his community is suffering deeply because their crops cannot survive the excess water, leaving them with no food to harvest and severe financial ruin. This local crisis is the direct result of an abrupt shutdown of American foreign aid initiatives.

The backdrop to this human suffering is the radical political shift in Washington. President Donald Trump, declaring that USAID was run by "radical lunatics," systematically dismantled the agency, asserting that foreign aid is not charity and must strictly further the national interest of the United States. While Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his team promised a review of every canceled contract to eliminate "wasteful, inefficient" spending, former USAID staffers reveal that no meaningful review process ever took place. Administration officials defended the decision as standard, strategic diplomacy, dismissing claims of cruelty. However, experts and former agency workers warn that shutting down an agency without understanding its work puts tens of millions of lives at risk globally for a budget line that constituted only 0.6% to 0.7% of the total U.S. federal budget.

* **USAID Budget:** Accounted for roughly **0.6% to 0.7%** of the total annual U.S. budget. * **Human Impact:** Experts predict the abrupt cancellation of global aid programs could result in tens of millions of deaths worldwide.

---

[00:221] Investigating the Unfinished Infrastructure

Bloomberg Investigates set out to track the real-world consequences of abandoning unfinished U.S.-backed infrastructure projects across the globe. Combining satellite imagery, spatial mapping, data analysis, and over 100 internal documents, researchers examined the dangers created when construction sites are left without supervision or safety protocols. Former USAID employees had issued multiple explicit warnings regarding the hazards of abandoning incomplete civil engineering projects.

A former USAID staffer who served from 2012 to 2025 shared her emotional perspective, describing her career at the agency as her life's pride and safest space. She recalled how, shortly after the inauguration in January 2025, leadership was informed of a planned six-month review. The internal team proactively created a "red, yellow, green" dashboard, preparing to sacrifice less aligned programs and defend critical ones. Instead, the administration completely bypassed this process and canceled every single project in her office overnight—including crucial Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) programs.

---

[04:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=291s) The Overlooked Crisis in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)

Bloomberg's investigation focused specifically on WASH initiatives—a funding sector that is often overlooked and considered unglamorous within foreign aid, yet remains vital for basic human survival. Proper WASH infrastructure prevents waterborne silent killers and guarantees sanitary conditions for children under five. In Kenya, the abrupt halt of these programs left essential water networks in chaos.

A primary example is the Kamlenza Irrigation Scheme. USAID had stepped in to rebuild the scheme's main canal and distribution points to help local farmers efficiently irrigate their banana crops. When stop-work orders arrived, workers were forced to abandon the upper section of the canal midway through construction—after digging up the earth and clearing surrounding vegetation. Without functioning sluice gates or control structures, incoming water now flows unchecked, submerging surrounding fields rather than irrigating them.

``` [Unfinished Upper Canal] ──> Uncontrolled Water Flow ──> Waterlogged Fields ──> Rotting Crops & Flooding ```

* **Cost to Complete Kamlenza Scheme:** Approximately **$217,000**. * **Total Ongoing WASH Projects in Kenya:** **26 projects** were active when work was halted. * **Total Cost to Finish All 26 Projects:** Approximately **$2 million**.

---

[07:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=430s) Abandoned Work Sites and Financial Wastage

Local Kenyan farmers describe how initial optimism turned into desperation. One farmer explains how he attempted to dig manual drainage ditches by hand, but because the entire area remains thoroughly waterlogged, crops cannot grow. He pleads with the U.S. government to complete the project so his family can eat and regain financial stability. Completing the project would have required a modest $217,000—a negligible figure in the context of the federal budget.

Despite frantic messages sent by field teams to Washington decision-makers, sites were abandoned exactly as they were. Bloomberg's investigation revealed a clear pattern across Kenya: most halted projects were not in the initial design phase, but were already under active construction. Construction materials were left to rot in the open air alongside half-finished structures. While the Trump administration claimed the cancellations saved taxpayer money, former officials and field data show it resulted in massive financial waste through abandoned materials, wasted salaries, and ruined infrastructure.

---

[10:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=602s) Satellite Data Links Unfinished Canals to 2026 Deluge

To verify whether the severe 2026 flooding in the village of Kimorigo was caused by the unfinished irrigation project, Bloomberg analyzed radar and satellite imagery measuring accumulated standing water. By plotting a flood intensity index against cumulative seasonal rainfall, data analysts made a striking discovery: total rainfall during the 2026 rainy season was not statistically unusual compared to past years.

However, 2026 stood out as an extreme anomaly regarding flood severity. Spatial mapping confirmed that the catastrophic flooding was heavily concentrated along the western side of Kimorigo—the precise location of the incomplete USAID irrigation scheme. Leaving the infrastructure incomplete fundamentally broke the drainage system, making it function far worse than if no construction had ever taken place.

> "When nothing is put in its place, it can actually have the totally unintended consequence of making things way worse than they actually even used to be."

* **Health Fallout:** The stagnant floodwaters triggered an immediate spike in severe diarrhea cases among young children in the region.

---

[14:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=857s) Transactional Foreign Policy vs. Global Consequences

Trump administration officials defend the sweeping cuts by framing international relations in purely transactional terms. They argue that the traditional concept of American "soft power" was a narrative manufactured by the media, asserting that developing nations are accustomed to transactional deals like those offered by China. Administration spokespeople maintain that three decades of traditional foreign assistance yielded little benefit to U.S. interests.

In stark contrast, former aid workers and affected communities view the policy as a tragic collapse of credibility and basic humanity. Workers point out that while WASH programs are rarely classified under basic "life-saving emergency aid," clean water directly impacts neurological development, school attendance, disease prevention, and overall economic survival. Kenya represents merely a fraction of the broader destruction: internal records show that the administration canceled at least 80 other water projects globally, stripping planned water access from at least 11 million people worldwide.

* **Global Scale:** At least **80 water projects** were canceled globally across multiple countries. * **Impacted Population:** Deprived an estimated **11 million people** of planned clean water access.

## Notable quotes > [00:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=3s) Everything has dried — local farmer

> [00:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=3s) radical lunatics — Donald Trump

> [00:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=3s) wasteful, inefficient — Marco Rubio

> [03:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=221s) red, yellow, green — former USAID staffer

> [10:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=602s) When nothing is put in its place, it can actually have the totally unintended consequence of making things way worse than they actually even used to be.

## Mentioned Donald Trump, USAID, Bloomberg Investigates, Elon Musk, Kenya, Marco Rubio, Kamlenza Irrigation Scheme, WASH, Kimorigo, China, United States

[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM)

中文简报

特朗普削减USAID资金致肯尼亚未完工水利工程引发洪灾突然放弃肯尼亚一项耗资21.7万美元的灌溉项目破坏了当地排水系统，在未能带来承诺的预算节约的同时，引发了严重的洪灾与疾病。在特朗普政府迅速取消美国国际开发署（USAID）项目后，彭博调查（Bloomberg Investigates）结合卫星数据、空间测绘与内部文件，调查了肯尼亚实地遭受的后果。Kamlenza灌溉项目及其他25个在建水务与卫生项目的突然叫停，导致半完工的沟渠缺少控制闸门，死水积聚淹没当地农作物，并引发了严重的腹泻疫情。尽管美政府将削减预算定性为消除浪费性支出，但实地数据和该机构前员工透露，此举不仅造成了巨大的资金浪费，还带来了严重的人道主义隐患；全球范围内共有80多个水务项目被取消，波及1100万人。特朗普政府以对外援助必须符合美国国家利益为由全面撤销美国国际开发署（USAID），尽管该机构预算仅占联邦总预算的0.6%至0.7%，专家与前官员警告此举恐将危及全球数千万人生命。 (0:03) 援助骤停导致肯尼亚26个水资源与卫生（WASH）工程瘫痪，其中卡姆伦扎灌溉渠在未安装水闸的情况下被强行停工，造成失控积水淹没香蕉田并致作物腐烂，而完工该项目仅需21.7万美元。 (4:51) 彭博社通过卫星与雷达数据分析证实，肯尼亚基莫里戈村2026年的异常洪灾并非降雨量激增所致，而是半途废弃的引水工程破坏了原有排水系统，并引发当地幼童腹泻病例激增。 (10:02) 尽管官方宣称削减对外援助能为纳税人省钱，但内部数据显示全球至少有80个供水项目遭突发废弃，预计将导致约1100万人失去原定的清洁用水供应，遗留的半拉子工程造成巨大财政浪费。 (14:17)

Reading summary

A Bloomberg investigation reveals that the Trump administration's abrupt, blanket termination of USAID programs left critical civil engineering works half-built, inadvertently transforming unfinished water infrastructure into localized ecological hazards. While administration officials defended the cuts as a necessary shift toward transactional diplomacy that eliminated wasteful spending, field evidence and satellite data demonstrate that halted projects caused severe flooding, agricultural loss, and substantial fiscal waste. Blanket Cancellations Without Planned Contract Reviews (0:03) President Donald Trump dismantled USAID under the assertion that foreign aid must exclusively serve U.S. national interests rather than act as charity, characterizing the agency as run by "radical lunatics." Although Secretary of State Marco Rubio and administration leadership promised a project-by-project review to excise inefficient spending, former agency personnel revealed that no meaningful evaluation occurred. Internal teams had prepared a "red, yellow, green" dashboard to defend critical initiatives and offer up lower-priority programs; instead, the administration bypassed this process entirely in January 2025, canceling offices and portfolios overnight. This sweeping shutdown eliminated programs across the globe even though USAID comprised only 0.6% to 0.7% of the annual U.S. federal budget, with experts warning the decision jeopardized tens of millions of lives worldwide. Incomplete Irrigation Infrastructure Inducing Floods in Kenya (4:51) The human and physical fallout was particularly acute in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) programs, which are critical for disease prevention and survival. In rural Kenya, USAID had commenced work on the Kamlenza Irrigation Scheme to assist local banana farmers. However, contractors were ordered to halt midway through construction after clearing vegetation and digging the upper canal, leaving the system without sluice gates or control structures. Bloomberg's analysis of radar and satellite data demonstrated that while rainfall during the 2026 rainy season in the village of Kimorigo was statistically typical, flood severity was an extreme anomaly. Catastrophic standing water concentrated precisely along the unfinished canal site, where uncontrolled water submerged fields and rotted banana crops instead of irrigating them. In addition to widespread harvest loss, the stagnant water triggered an immediate spike in severe diarrhea among local children. The Economic Paradox of Halting Active Construction (7:10) Although the administration presented the cancellations as taxpayer savings, field reporting showed that halting projects mid-construction generated significant waste. Bloomberg documented that most terminated Kenyan initiatives were actively being built rather than in design stages, leaving raw construction materials and half-erected structures to decay outdoors. Finishing the Kamlenza scheme would have required an estimated $217,000, while completing all 26 active WASH projects halted across Kenya would have cost approximately $2 million. Former officials and local farmers emphasized that walking away mid-build resulted in wasted salaries, ruined materials, and a broken drainage system that left communities in substantially worse condition than if construction had never started. Transactional Diplomacy and Widespread Global Fallout (14:17) Administration officials justified the broad cuts by framing U.S. foreign policy in purely transactional terms. Spokespeople argued that traditional American "soft power" was an artificial media narrative and that three decades of traditional foreign assistance provided little return to U.S. interests, noting that developing countries are accustomed to transactional deals akin to those offered by China. Conversely, former aid workers and community leaders characterized the sudden retreat as a devastating blow to U.S. credibility and basic human welfare. Beyond the localized devastation in Kenya, internal documents indicated that the administration canceled at least 80 water projects worldwide, stripping an estimated 11 million people of planned access to clean water. The findings highlight an acute disconnect between Washington's transactional foreign policy doctrine and the physical realities of development assistance: while the administration aimed to cut marginal budget expenditures, abruptly abandoning uncompleted civil engineering works inflicted immediate humanitarian crises and long-term environmental degradation on local populations.

精炼阅读摘要

彭博调查（Bloomberg Investigates）指出，特朗普政府以推行交易型外交和遏制开支为由，仓促撤资并关停仅占美国联邦预算约0.6%至0.7%的美国国际开发署（USAID）项目；然而现场证据与卫星数据表明，在缺乏审查的情况下骤然废弃施工中的基础设施，不仅未实现财政节约，反而在肯尼亚等地诱发了人为水灾、绝收与疾病蔓延，并在全球剥夺了1100万人的清洁水源规划。华盛顿政策转向与跳过审查的项目关停 (0:03) 特朗普总统公开抨击USAID由“激进疯子”管理，强调对外援助并非慈善，必须完全服务于美国国家利益；国务卿Marco Rubio及其团队随后承诺将逐一审查所有被取消的合同，以剔除“浪费与低效”的开支。然而，USAID前员工透露，实质性的审查流程从未发生。在2025年1月总统就职后，内部团队曾主动建立“红黄绿”风险仪表板，计划舍弃契合度较低的项目以保全关键民生工程，但行政当局完全绕过该评估，在一夜之间取消了包括水利、环境卫生和个人卫生（WASH）在内的全部既定项目。专家与前机构工作人员警告，在未了解具体运作机制的情况下粗暴关闭机构，仅削减了占美国年度预算约0.6%至0.7%的边际款项，却据专家预测可能导致全球数以千万计的人口面临生命威胁，行政团队则坚称该举措属于常规且合理的战略外交调整。半拉子灌溉工程反噬地方生计与水文环境 (4:51) 肯尼亚的坎伦扎（Kamlenza）灌溉系统修缮项目成为此轮政策冲击的典型缩影。USAID原拟出资重修该工程的主渠和配水节点，以帮助当地农民灌溉香蕉作物。但在收到停工令后，施工人员被迫在挖开地表、清除周边植被后半途撤离。由于缺少运转正常的水闸与调控结构，来水无法得到分流约束，反而持续漫灌至周边耕地，导致大片香蕉根系腐烂，农户陷入严重的粮食匮乏与财务绝境。为核实2026年基莫里戈（Kimorigo）村严重内涝的原因，彭博结合雷达与卫星数据，比对了降雨量与洪水强度指数。数据显示，2026年雨季的总降水量在统计学上与往年持平，并无异常；然而，灾情却呈现出极端异常的严重程度，且高强度积水精准集中在未完工水渠所在的村庄西侧。半途而废的基础设施彻底破坏了原有的自然排水系统，其后果比从未施工更为恶劣，并在当地五岁以下幼童中直接引发了严重腹泻病例的骤升。节约公帑说辞下的资产闲置与资金浪费 (7:10) 尽管特朗普政府宣称停工旨在维护美国纳税人利益，但彭博调取的100多份内部文件与实地走访显示，撤资实际上造成了大规模的资产流失。在肯尼亚，绝大多数被叫停的项目并非停留在前期图纸设计阶段，而是已经处于热火朝天的现场施工中。随着停工指令突然下达，建筑材料被随意弃置在未完工的设施旁任由风吹日晒而损毁，已支付的人员工资与前期工程投入全部付诸东流。当地农民因田地严重积水无法种植作物，虽尝试手动挖掘排水沟自救却无济于事，只能请求美方完成工程以恢复基本生计。讽刺的是，彻底完工坎伦扎项目仅需约21.7万美元，而将肯尼亚境内全部26个受影响的WASH项目收尾总计仅需约200万美元。在万亿级规模的美国联邦预算中，这笔用于防止工程反噬灾害的后续资金微乎其微，仓促撤场反而放大了既有投入的彻底浪费。交易型外交逻辑与全球千万人面临的代价 (14:17) 特朗普政府官员以冷酷的交易型视角为其全球援助削减辩护。官方发言人认为，传统意义上的美国“软实力”不过是媒体炮制的虚构叙事，过去三十年的传统对外援助并未有效增进美国自身利益，且广大发展中国家早已适应了类似中国所提供的纯商业交易模式。官方因而驳斥了外界有关政策过于残酷的指责。前援助官员与基层社区则认为，这一政策标志着美国国家信誉与人道底线的急剧倒退。业内人士指出，WASH项目虽少被归入突发灾难下的“紧急救援”范畴，但清洁饮水直接决定了儿童的神经发育、学龄期入学率、疾病防控及地方经济存续。肯尼亚并非孤例，内部记录表明，该届政府在全球多国取消了至少80个同类水利工程，剥夺了全球预估1100万人获得规划中安全饮用水的权利。彭博调查表明，将对外援助视为单向消耗并予以草率关停，不仅未能在财政层面实现实质性紧缩，反而将半成品的土木工程异化为受援国的长期生态与卫生隐患。这一冲突凸显了将所有外交政策彻底商业交易化时，在国际公共品供给、信誉维持与人道主义责任之间产生的严重割裂，且最终代价往往由毫无抗风险能力的底层群体承受。

Detailed notes — zh

## Background 本视频由彭博原创频道（Bloomberg Originals）于 2026 年 7 月 31 日在 YouTube 平台发布。内容源自彭博深入肯尼亚展开的实地调查，聚焦特朗普政府及其团队骤然解散美国国际开发署（USAID）并全面叫停对外援助项目后，在当地引发的反常洪灾、疾病蔓延以及对脆弱社区造成的毁灭性打击。 ## TL;DR 彭博调查团队结合实地走访、前员工内幕文件与高精度卫星雷达数据，揭露了 USAID 被骤然撤资后留下的次生人道灾难。在肯尼亚，仅需约 21.7 万美元即可完工的卡姆伦扎灌溉工程半途遭废弃，被挖开却未安装控制闸门的水渠破坏了原生地表水文，在正常雨季直接引发创纪录的严重内涝，导致大面积庄稼腐烂绝收并诱发儿童群体水生疾病激增。调查指出，这类休克式撤资不仅未能真正省下资金，反而在肯尼亚乃至全球留下数十个烂尾民生工程，剥夺了上千万人获取安全水源的权利并摧毁了美国的国际公信力。 ## Atmosphere & style 全片基调冷峻沉郁、严谨克制，兼具调查新闻的硬核质感与人道视角的刺痛感。叙事通过华盛顿决策层冷血算计的政论言辞与非洲泥泞农田中农民无助叹息的鲜明视听反差展开，并以详实的卫星遥感图层推导逐步撕开“天灾”的遮羞布。伴随着烂尾水渠与受灾村庄的写实镜头，整部短片流露出对政治短视摧毁无数底层生计的深切同情与有力控诉。 ## Bulletin - [00:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=3s) 特朗普政府骤然解散并撤资 USAID，以“削减浪费”为名取消大量对外援助；尽管该机构预算仅占美国联邦总预算的 0.6% 至 0.7%，但人道主义专家警告休克式撤资将危及全球数以千万计的生命。 - [10:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=602s) 彭博社卫星雷达与水文调查证实，肯尼亚基莫里戈村 2026 年遭遇的历史级严重内涝并非极端天气所致，而是卡姆伦扎灌溉工程被突击叫停、未装分流水闸引发的人为次生洪灾。 - [07:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=430s) 财务数据显示，彻底完工卡姆伦扎灌溉工程仅需约 21.7 万美元，而完工肯尼亚全部 26 个被叫停的水利卫生（WASH）工程总计仅需约 200 万美元，突击停工反而造成了严重的资产浪费与沉没成本。 - [12:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=749s) 全球范围内至少有 80 多个由美国出资的水资源安全项目被强制废弃，直接剥夺了全球至少 1100 万人获得洁净安全饮用水的权利，并在受灾社区引发致命的儿童腹泻等健康危机。 ## Key takeaways - [00:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=3s) 白宫以“对外援助必须服务于美国绝对国家利益”为由叫停 USAID 项目，尽管此前曾承诺逐一审查，但实际操作中并未执行任何实质性审查流程。 - [00:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=3s) USAID 的预算仅占美国联邦年度总财政支出的 0.6% 至 0.7%，但对未竟项目一刀切式的粗暴关停，给全球受援脆弱地区带来了数千万人面临死亡威胁的高昂代价。 - [02:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=141s) 彭博社调取百余份内部档案与卫星遥感数据揭露，前线员工在撤资前曾密集发出灾害预警，指出将大型基础设施半途抛弃不仅无法省钱，反会制造严重险情。 - [03:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=192s) USAID 基层团队曾尝试通过“红黄绿仪表盘”清单主动妥协以保住民生核心项目，但最终整个部门的所有合同仍在未经磋商的情况下被全数叫停。 - [04:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=291s) 水资源、环境卫生与个人卫生（WASH）项目虽在国际援助中不够吸睛，却是保护贫困社区五岁以下儿童免遭霍乱、伤寒等致命水生疾病吞噬的生命底线。 - [04:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=291s) 肯尼亚卡姆伦扎灌溉工程在上游渠段刚挖开、固土植被被铲除且分流闸门未装就位的情况下被突然叫停，使水渠直接沦为肆意喷涌、冲垮农田的失控豁口。 - [07:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=430s) 彻底完工卡姆伦扎项目仅需 21.7 万美元，完工肯尼亚全境 26 个已实质动工的 WASH 项目仅需约 200 万美元；叫停不仅毁坏民生，更让前期投入沦为无法回收的沉没成本。 - [10:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=602s) 卫星雷达数据排除了“天灾致涝”的可能，数据显示当地降雨完全处于正常区间，异常积水精准集中在未完工水渠西侧，证实烂尾工程是洪灾的直接诱因。 - [12:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=749s) 无序漫灌的死水导致肯尼亚当地香蕉作物大面积烂根绝收，农户经济链条崩溃，同时引发儿童群体中腹泻疾病的爆发式激增。 - [12:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=749s) 除肯尼亚外，全球至少 80 个由美国出资的水资源保障项目惨遭腰斩，全球范围内有超过 1100 万人因此被剥夺获得洁净水源的权利。 - [12:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=749s) 华盛顿决策层以赤裸的交易逻辑否定传统软实力价值，但前线官员批评这种无序抛弃当地社区的做法不仅造成生命损失，更使美国的国际信誉彻底破产。 ## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=3s) 烂尾工程下的肯尼亚农田与突然被撤资的 USAID 在肯尼亚的农田里，曾经生机盎然的作物如今一片死寂。当地农民指着地里奄奄一息的香蕉树无奈地叹息：“一切都干枯了，因为没有作物、没有食物，我们正在承受巨大的苦难。”这些香蕉树的根部因为长期浸泡在不受控制的积水中早已腐烂，变得极其脆弱，随时可能倒伏。放眼望去，地里全是水洼，农户不仅无法收获任何果实和庄稼，经济状况也陷入了极度崩溃的境地。与非洲农田的绝望景象形成鲜明对比的，是华盛顿决策层对对外援助的彻底颠覆。唐纳德·特朗普直言美国国际开发署（USAID）是由一群“激进的疯子”（radical lunatics）在管理，誓言必须将他们彻底清除，并强调“对外援助不是慈善，它的设立是为了推进美国的国家利益”。特朗普政府声称 USAID 充斥着浪费、低效以及与美国国家利益背道而驰的政治倾向，接连取消了大批被其定性为“愚蠢且离谱”的合同。尽管马可·卢比奥及其团队曾承诺将对每一项被撤销的项目进行逐一审查，但彭博社采访的前工作人员证实，实际操作中根本不存在任何有实质意义的审查流程。尽管削减行动的支持者坚称退出某些国家符合传统地缘政治逻辑，并非“冷酷残忍”，但大批人道主义专家与前官员却发出严厉警告。他们指出，USAID 的预算仅占美国联邦年度总预算的 0.6% 至 0.7%，金额微乎其微；而这种对实地情况一无所知、粗暴关停机构的做法，其带来的潜在代价将是数以千万计生命的丧失。 - 农田现状：大面积积水导致作物根系腐烂，香蕉等经济作物绝收，农户经济链条断裂。 - 政策依据：白宫方面认为对外援助必须服务于美国的绝对国家利益，并指控既有项目存在严重资源浪费。 - 预算对比：被裁撤的 USAID 预算仅占美国年度财政支出的 0.6%–0.7%，但预测带来的死亡风险高达数千万人。 ### [02:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=141s) 彭博社深入调查：内部档案与卫星遥感揭露的遗弃现场当基础设施在没有任何监管和安全防护措施的情况下被半途抛弃，世界各地究竟会发生什么？随着 USAID 的骤然解体，彭博调查团队启动了一项实地追踪计划，试图通过多维度的技术手段，核实这些未竟工程究竟给当地社区留下了怎样的真实遗产。为了还原事实，调查团队调取并分析了大量卫星遥感图像、地理测绘图及水文数据，并仔细研读了超过 100 份内部文件。大量来自前 USAID 员工的事先预警在调查中浮出水面——他们在离职前曾反复强调，把尚未竣工的大型工程直接扔在原地，不仅无法节省资金，反而会埋下极其危险的灾难隐患。一年过去后，当地民众依然生活在工程半途而废所诱发的次生灾害之中。 ### [03:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=192s) 内部雇员亲历：从“红黄绿”自救清单到项目全线覆灭在 USAID 奉献了 20 年职业生涯的前资深工作人员回忆起离开机构的过程，满是心酸与无奈。对于许多长期从事国际发展的人而言，这份工作是他们一生的骄傲，也是实现人生价值的避风港：“只要走进办公室，门在身后合上，我就会长舒一口气，因为我知道我的工作充满意义。”然而，她在 2012 年至 2025 年间倾注心血的职业生涯，最终却以非自愿的方式戛然而止。在 2025 年 1 月新政府就职后不久，机构内部传出消息，称将对所有在研项目开展为期约六个月的全面审查。为了尽可能保住核心民生项目，领导团队甚至主动拟定了一份“红黄绿仪表盘”清单，做好了妥协退让的准备——他们主动标出那些战略契合度相对较低的项目，计划在必要时断臂求生。然而，这番自救努力最终化为泡影。没有逐项磋商，也没有任何申辩机会，该部门下辖的所有项目在一夜之间被全数取消，其中就包括关乎生命底线的水资源、环境卫生与个人卫生（WASH）项目。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: USAID 项目骤停与次生灾害逻辑链 accDescr: 展示从白宫政策调整到肯尼亚当地水灾爆发及健康危机的因果传导过程 subgraph Policy["政策突变"] A["白宫叫停 USAID 合同"] --> B["放弃逐项实质审查"] B --> C["WASH 卫生水利项目全线叫停"] end subgraph Field["工程断链"] C --> D["卡姆伦扎灌溉渠施工骤停"] D --> E["上游渠段已挖开/植被已清除"] E --> F["缺乏水闸与分流控制阀门"] end subgraph Impact["实地灾难"] F --> G["暴雨雨水无序漫灌农田"] G --> H["基莫里戈村爆发严重内涝"] H --> I["庄稼根系腐烂绝收 / 腹泻疾病蔓延"] end ``` ### [04:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=291s) 被遗忘的 WASH 领域与失控的卡姆伦扎灌溉工程调查团队特别将目光锁定在水资源、环境卫生与个人卫生（WASH）领域。与大型形象工程相比，水利卫生项目在国际援助界向来显得“不够光鲜”，因而极易被边缘化。然而，这恰恰是向贫困社区提供洁净饮水、保障五岁以下儿童免受致命水生疾病侵袭的根本屏障。在肯尼亚，霍乱、伤寒等水生疾病往往是悄无声息夺走幼童生命的“隐形杀手”。位于肯尼亚的卡姆伦扎（Kamlenza）灌溉工程原本规划了一张宏大的引水网络，旨在将水流有序引导穿过多片农田，修复原有的分水节点，从而帮助当地农户获得充沛水源以提高香蕉作物的产量。然而，停工令下达时，通往村庄的上游核心渠段才刚被挖开，周边原有的防风固土植被也已被彻底铲除。由于工程被腰斩，整条水渠系统处于“开膛破肚”的状态。水渠沿线分布着原本用于双向调控水流的侧渠和分水闸口，但因为后续施工戛然而止，所有闸门均未安装就位。每逢上游来水，水流根本无法受到任何人为控制，只能顺着敞开的豁口肆意喷涌，直接演变成冲垮周边农田的无序洪流。 ### [07:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=430s) 仅需 20 万美元的工程被弃：资金浪费与农民的绝望呼吁卡姆伦扎工程的停摆给当地居民留下了无尽的苦果。一位当地农民指着浸泡在泥浆里的田地表示：“项目刚动工时，我们满怀希望；但援助被突然切断后，我们面临着无尽的难题，因为工程根本没有做完。”为了排走田里的积水，他甚至自掏腰包人工挖掘了一些临时导流沟，但在彻底泛滥的水位面前根本无济于事。由于土地常年过饱和浸水，庄稼已经完全无法生长。他苦涩地向大洋彼岸呼吁：“我们肯尼亚农民原本对美国抱有巨大的期望，我们恳求他们把这个工程建完，让我们能够重新填饱肚子、维持生计。” 令人讽刺的是，彭博社查阅财务数据后发现，彻底完工卡姆伦扎灌溉工程仅仅只需要约 21.7 万美元。这笔钱在 USAID 庞大的对外援助预算总盘子中不过是沧海一粟。当地人员曾反复向华盛顿的主管部门陈情建言，指出完工的效益远远大于半途废弃，但一切呼吁最终都石沉大海。调查进一步揭示，类似的情况在肯尼亚绝非孤例： - 当时肯尼亚共有 26 个正在推进的 WASH 项目被勒令停工。 - 将这全部 26 个民生水利项目彻底建完，总共只需要大约 200 万美元。 - 绝大多数被叫停的项目都已进入实质性施工阶段，而非停留在前期的图纸设计或效益评估环节。 - 施工现场随处可见被遗弃的建材管线和建了一半的水泥工事，连同此前已经支付的工程款与人员薪酬，彻底沦为不可回收的沉没成本。特朗普政府以“节约公帑”为名的休克式撤资，反而在地面上制造了触目惊心的资产浪费。 ### [10:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=602s) 卫星雷达数据锁定真相：未完工工程酿成的异常洪灾彭博社调查的核心焦点，在于基莫里戈村（Kimorigo）当年遭遇的严重内涝是否与半途而废的水利工程存在直接因果联系。为此，数据团队调取了高分辨率卫星雷达影像，重点分析雨季地表死水积聚的暗色区域，并将历年的水体覆盖情况进行量化比对。水文分析得出了一个惊人的结论： - 将该地区雨季的“洪涝强度指数”（Flood Intensity Index）与累积降雨量进行交叉比对，2026 年的数据表现出极端的反常态势。 - 从基于 7 天平均降雨量等气象统计数据来看，2026 年当地的总降雨量与降水强度完全处于正常历史区间，并未遭遇极端气象。 - 然而，当地村庄承受的实际水灾严重程度却打破了历史记录。从空间分布上看，异常积水高度集中在基莫里戈村的西侧——这一区域恰好正是卡姆伦扎未完工灌溉工程的所在地。雷达测绘彻底推翻了“天灾致涝”的说辞。这一未完工的引水系统不仅没能造福当地，反而破坏了原本的天然排水肌理，变成了一个比过去运转更差的“致灾漏洞”，美国此前许下的建设承诺在泥泞中化为泡影。 ### [12:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=749s) 连锁健康危机与全球 80 个被腰斩项目的深远代价当原有的工程体系被挖开，而新的防洪排涝闭环又未建立时，留下的真空会带来毁灭性的次生危机。在基莫里戈村，泛滥的积水不仅毁掉了收成，更导致当地环境卫生极度恶化，儿童群体中的腹泻病例呈爆发式激增。面对国际社会的广泛谴责，华盛顿的强硬派却对此不以为意。部分政策官员在受访时坚称，传统外交话语中的“软实力叙事”不过是媒体凭空制造的假象。他们宣称许多国家早已习惯与外部大国打交道时的赤裸交易，“那种讲求温情脉脉的旧系统推行了二三十年，又给美国换来了什么？” 但在身处一线的前援助官员看来，这种短视不仅造成了生命的消逝与当地雇员的失业，更是让美国政府的国际信誉彻底破产：“我们把那些人孤零零地留在家中，让他们无助地面面相觑，不知道自己的未来究竟在何方。” 洁净水源的丧失绝不仅是一个简单的工程问题，它会像多米诺骨牌一样迅速传导至人类健康、幼儿神经系统发育以及学龄儿童的出勤率等方方面面。肯尼亚的惨状仅仅是冰山一角：据调查统计，全球范围内至少有 80 多个由美国出资的水资源保障项目遭到强制叫停，直接剥夺了全球至少 1100 万人获得安全饮用水的权利。 ## Notable quotes > [00:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=3s) 一切都干枯了，因为没有作物、没有食物，我们正在承受巨大的苦难。 — 当地农民 > [00:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=3s) 激进的疯子 — 唐纳德·特朗普 > [00:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=3s) 对外援助不是慈善，它的设立是为了推进美国的国家利益 — 唐纳德·特朗普 > [03:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=192s) 只要走进办公室，门在身后合上，我就会长舒一口气，因为我知道我的工作充满意义。 — 前 USAID 资深雇员 > [07:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=430s) 项目刚动工时，我们满怀希望；但援助被突然切断后，我们面临着无尽的难题，因为工程根本没有做完。 — 当地农民 > [07:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=430s) 我们肯尼亚农民原本对美国抱有巨大的期望，我们恳求他们把这个工程建完，让我们能够重新填饱肚子、维持生计。 — 当地农民 > [12:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=749s) 那种讲求温情脉脉的旧系统推行了二三十年，又给美国换来了什么？ — 华盛顿政策官员 > [12:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM&t=749s) 我们把那些人孤零零地留在家中，让他们无助地面面相觑，不知道自己的未来究竟在何方。 — 前援助官员 ## Mentioned 唐纳德·特朗普 (Donald Trump), 埃隆·马斯克 (Elon Musk), 马可·卢比奥 (Marco Rubio), 美国国际开发署 (USAID), 彭博社 (Bloomberg), 彭博调查 (Bloomberg Investigates), 白宫, 肯尼亚, 基莫里戈村 (Kimorigo), 卡姆伦扎灌溉工程 (Kamlenza), WASH (水资源、环境卫生与个人卫生项目) ## Video description When Donald Trump abruptly dismantled the US Agency for International Development, aid groups and researchers warned millions of lives would be lost. Bloomberg Investigates travels to Kenya to examine the consequences of the cuts by Trump and his deputy, Elon Musk, and how unfinished projects may be creating new dangers. Dozens of American initiatives designed to provide clean water and protect communities from flooding have been abandoned, leaving some of the country's most vulnerable people at even greater risk than before. Trump’s Chaotic USAID Cuts Unleashed Floods, Disease and Poverty: https://bloom.bg/4ylmAaF The abrupt termination of an irrigation project in Kenya led to a once in a decade flood with devastating consequences. Bloomberg Investigates is an award-winning series that sets out to uncover the truth behind some of the most powerful stories from around the world. #Trump #USAID #Kenya -------- Like this video? Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/Bloomberg?sub_confirmation=1 Get unlimited access to Bloomberg.com for just $1.99 your first month: https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions?in_source=YoutubeOriginals Bloomberg Originals offers bold takes for curious minds on today’s biggest topics. Hosted by experts covering stories you haven’t seen and viewpoints you haven’t heard, you’ll discover cinematic, data-led shows that investigate the intersection of business and culture. Exploring every angle of climate change, technology, finance, sports and beyond, Bloomberg Originals is business as you’ve never seen it. Subscribe for business news, but not as you've known it: exclusive interviews, fascinating profiles, data-driven analysis, and the latest in tech innovation from around the world. Visit our partner channel Bloomberg News for global news and insight in an instant. [Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnoIf7aknM)

Source quotes

[0:03] 当地农民: 一切都干枯了，因为没有作物、没有食物，我们正在承受巨大的苦难。 [0:03] 唐纳德·特朗普: 激进的疯子 [0:03] 唐纳德·特朗普: 对外援助不是慈善，它的设立是为了推进美国的国家利益 [3:12] 前 USAID 资深雇员: 只要走进办公室，门在身后合上，我就会长舒一口气，因为我知道我的工作充满意义。 [7:10] 当地农民: 项目刚动工时，我们满怀希望；但援助被突然切断后，我们面临着无尽的难题，因为工程根本没有做完。 [7:10] 当地农民: 我们肯尼亚农民原本对美国抱有巨大的期望，我们恳求他们把这个工程建完，让我们能够重新填饱肚子、维持生计。 [12:29] 华盛顿政策官员: 那种讲求温情脉脉的旧系统推行了二三十年，又给美国换来了什么？ [12:29] 前援助官员: 我们把那些人孤零零地留在家中，让他们无助地面面相觑，不知道自己的未来究竟在何方。

Source quotes

[0:03] local farmer: Everything has dried [0:03] Donald Trump: radical lunatics [0:03] Marco Rubio: wasteful, inefficient [3:41] former USAID staffer: red, yellow, green [10:02] When nothing is put in its place, it can actually have the totally unintended consequence of making things way worse than they actually even used to be.

Original transcript

[0:03] Everything has dried. [0:04] We are suffering a lot [0:06] because there's no plants, no food, [0:09] everything has just dried. [0:11] This is a banana. It's drying. It's about to fall down. [0:15] You see, it's very weak [0:16] because the roots have already rotten. [0:18] You can see a lot of water. We can't harvest anything. [0:22] There's no any fruit, any crop. [0:25] We are suffering financially. [0:31] USAID - run by radical lunatics [0:34] and we're getting them out. [0:36] Foreign aid is not charity. [0:37] It is designed to further the national [0:39] interest of the United States. [0:40] Cuts to USAID might cost millions of lives. [0:45] It's false. [0:48] The Trump administration say that USAID was wasteful, [0:52] inefficient, and politically misaligned [0:54] with American interests. [0:56] We canceled a bunch of contracts in USAID. [0:58] Some were stupid and outrageous. [1:00] Others didn't serve the national interest. [1:02] Marco Rubio and his team promised [1:04] that they will review every single program [1:08] that they were canceling. [1:10] Well, from our interviews with former staffers, [1:12] there was no meaningful review process. [1:21] Is it true that we are leaving certain countries [1:23] because they don't align with our strategic interest? [1:26] Absolutely. That's how diplomacy has been done [1:28] for thousands of years. That's not cruelty. [1:30] What's happening right now is dangerous [1:34] for the United States and humanity. [1:36] These are people shutting down an agency [1:38] and having no clue the work that is being done. [1:41] Budget for USAID was 0.6 to 0.7% [1:46] of our budget every year. [1:48] That is such a small amount of money [1:52] and the predictions of how many people will die [1:56] as a result is in the tens of millions. [1:59] Our investigation shows [2:00] what happened when you abandon infrastructure projects. [2:03] One year later, people are still [2:05] living with the consequences. [2:21] I have always been intrigued about [2:24] what happens when you leave from unfinished infrastructure [2:27] around the world without surveillance, [2:30] without any safety measure put in place. [2:32] When USAID was dismantled, I had this idea. [2:37] Can we actually track what is happening on the ground? [2:40] The tools we're using in this investigation include satellite [2:44] imagery, mapping, data analysis. [2:46] We've reviewed over 100 internal documents [2:50] and all [it] together has helped us to understand the impact. [2:55] We also review multiple warnings from former USAID people [2:59] about how dangerous [3:00] and risky it was to leave those projects [3:03] that were not complete. [3:12] I think if you were to ask people who worked with me [3:16] or my husband, they would say [3:19] that work is thing I pride myself most on. [3:22] It's the place I feel safest. [3:24] When I walk into the office [3:25] and the doors close behind me, I exhale [3:28] because I know that my work has meaning [3:32] and I've been working in that space for 20 years. [3:35] I worked for USAID from 2012 [3:39] to 2025. [3:42] My exit from USAID was not voluntary. [3:49] Very shortly after the inauguration in January 2025, [3:54] we heard that there would be a review [3:59] that would last roughly six months of all USAID projects. [4:03] Our leadership team got together [4:05] and basically created a dashboard of projects [4:09] and you know, said green, yellow, red. [4:12] If we have to sacrifice projects that don't align as well, [4:17] these are the ones we'll sacrifice. [4:19] We certainly didn't approach it as a, we're going [4:23] to save everything. [4:24] We were willing to make concessions. [4:27] We prepared to defend them. [4:29] And then all projects in the office [4:31] that I worked in were canceled, including all WASH projects. [4:51] So we decided to look at WASH, the area [4:53] of water sanitation and hygiene, [4:56] because very often this area is overlooked. [4:59] It's not a very sexy area of the funding environment. [5:04] And yet it's so important for delivering basics like water [5:07] to communities, helping children under five have sanitary [5:11] conditions and to avoid waterborne diseases, some [5:15] of which are often silent killers in [5:17] a in a country like Kenya. [6:04] The Kamlenza Irrigation Scheme, [6:06] you can see right here in this white boundary, [6:08] this was designed to move water across [6:13] these set of fields here. [6:15] When USAID came in to essentially rebuild that scheme, [6:18] rebuild the distribution points so [6:20] that farmers would have better access to water, [6:23] [So] they'd be able to have more productive banana crop. [6:26] So when the stop work orders came in, [6:28] there was this whole top section of the canal leading up [6:32] to the village here where a lot of it had been dug up [6:35] and there had been vegetation cleared [6:37] around the edge of the canal. [6:39] So you can see all these side canals where water flows [6:43] that we mapped out, [6:44] and there are distribution points along this canal in order [6:47] to be able to move water in both of these directions. [6:52] Whenever water is coming in from the top of the canal, [6:54] it can't be controlled, so it just floods all [6:56] the fields surrounding them. [7:10] [When] the project initially started, [7:12] we had a great hope, [7:14] but unfortunately when the aid was terminated, [7:19] we faced a lot of problems [7:22] because the work was not complete. [7:24] You can see down there I've dug some drains so [7:27] that water can move down. [7:30] But unfortunately, because everywhere the water is very [7:35] logged, you can see [it's] very wet. [7:37] The crop can't grow anymore, [7:39] unless this canal is made so that this water can move [7:42] and the land can dry. [7:45] We Kenyan farmers had a very great hope with America [7:48] and we are pleading to them to complete this project so [7:53] that we can get food. [7:55] We can get financially stable. [8:02] They had only needed around $217,000 to complete, [8:07] which in the grand scheme [8:08] of the USAID's budget was not very much. [8:11] When the order to stop work came in, [8:14] that site was abandoned as it was clear. [8:16] It would've been more efficient [8:17] and more beneficial to have these projects completed, [8:20] but nothing happened despite countless efforts [8:24] to send the message to the authorities in Washington. [8:28] So when USAID stopped their work in Kenya, there was a total [8:31] of 26 projects in the WASH space ongoing [8:35] and it only would cost [8:37] around $2 million to actually finish them. [8:42] A key pattern that we found is that [8:44] when the stop work order was issued, most [8:47] of them were already happening. [8:49] They were not in the design phase or the evaluating phase. [8:53] So we saw materials that were abandoned on the sites, [8:57] infrastructure that was halfway done. [9:00] The Trump administration justified cancelling those programs [9:03] to save money and make those investments more efficient. [9:08] But [what] we have seen on the ground is lot of waste. [9:12] I would say that there has definitely been wastage [9:16] of funding due to the cancellation of the projects. [9:19] It's a really hard number to calculate [9:22] because there was not a real tally, [9:25] but I think it's very safe to say that between salaries [9:29] that had been paid [9:31] or infrastructure that had been abandoned, [9:35] that's a significant loss. [10:02] The claim we were investigating was whether the flooding [10:05] that happened in the village of Kimorigo this year [10:09] was directly linked to the unfinished infrastructure [10:14] project along this irrigation scheme. [10:16] We knew it flooded a lot this year [10:18] from this satellite imagery here, [10:21] from when the reporters were there. [10:22] So that's where we turned to the radar data, [10:24] which is showing these dark areas, which is [10:27] accumulated standing water over this particular rainy season [10:30] compared to other years. [10:32] So if you plot the flood intensity index against the [10:36] cumulative rainfall across this rainy season, [10:38] 2026 stands out. [10:40] If you calculate the intensity [10:43] of rainfall based on a seven day average [10:46] and you look at a bunch of other statistics, [10:48] 2026 is not unusual in the amount of rain that it had, yet [10:53] it is very unusual in terms of the severity of the flooding [10:57] that happened in this particular village. [10:59] And the spatial patterns of that show that the western side [11:03] of Kimorigo, which is near the irrigation scheme, [11:06] is the area that has, [11:09] that is different from every other year. [11:11] It's now a much worse functioning system than it used to be. [11:14] So the promise has been totally shattered. [12:29] When nothing is put in its place, [12:31] it can actually have the totally unintended consequence of [12:35] making things way worse than they actually even used to be. [12:38] The impacts have been severe [12:42] and what we learned was that there were cases of diarrhea [12:45] that had kind of exploded in the area particularly with kids [14:17] What we find when we engage with countries [14:19] around the world is that the soft power narrative [14:22] is really one that's been sort of manufactured [14:25] by the media. [14:26] I think what we find again is that a lot of countries, [14:29] particularly the places where allegedly we're losing the [14:31] soft power, are perfectly happy [14:33] to deal in a more transactional environment. [14:35] In fact, that's what they're used to dealing with, [14:37] with the Chinese and other partners. [14:38] Again, we tried that [14:41] that old system over the last 20-30 [14:42] years and what did it get us? [14:53] People lost lives. People lost jobs. [14:57] The US government lost credibility. [14:59] We left people in their homes wondering [15:04] what had happened to their lives [15:05] and wondering what would happen to their lives. [15:08] And I think that that's true of the people we were trying [15:11] to serve, of the people we had hired, of the people [15:14] who worked for USAID. [15:16] It was a blank slate of [15:21] where does our world go from here? [15:24] The notion of water itself has been interesting [15:27] because you realize that without access to it, [15:30] there's many spillover effects on human health, [15:34] on people's neurological development, on the ability [15:38] for kids to go to school. [15:40] WASH spending in general probably wasn't under the [15:44] bracket of lifesaving. [15:45] And yet we've seen that when you do cut these budgets, [15:48] it has knock-on effects on people's livelihoods [15:51] that can lead to death. [15:52] What we have seen in Kenya is just a little [15:54] piece of the whole puzzle. [15:56] According to our records, [15:57] at least 80 other programs were canceled around the world, [16:01] programs that were supposed to bring water [16:03] to at least 11 million people.