Cash for access? — How Kenya and other African nations turn to Trump-linked lobbyists

Kenya has become the latest African country that has hired lawyers or lobbying firms with ties to President Donald Trump’s associates to advocate for their interests in Washington, D.C.

Kenya has signed a $175,000-a-month lobbying contract with Continental Strategy LLC, a U.S. firm led by ex-Trump official Carlos Trujillo, aiming to boost its influence in Washington on trade, diplomacy, and security. The move comes amid U.S. scrutiny over Kenya’s global alliances, including growing ties with China and Russia. While Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi defends the deal as strategic, critics in Kenya question its cost and transparency during economic hardship. The agreement, filed under FARA, precedes President Ruto’s September visit to the United States — an early test of whether the lobbying yields measurable diplomatic returns.

Kenya’s government thus follows in the footsteps of several other African nations that are also paying millions to Trump-linked lobbying firms to maintain influence in Washington amid sweeping U.S. foreign aid cuts under President Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda. A recent Global Witness investigation found 17 of the world’s Least Developed Countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Angola, Somalia, and Zimbabwe, have signed lobbying contracts with U.S. companies worth over $21 million covering the period from the U.S. election in November 2024 and end-2025, despite facing humanitarian crisis.

The DRC, hit hard by the aid freeze, signed multiple contracts — including one with Ballard Partners, owned by a longtime Trump ally — to secure military and economic support in exchange for access to its critical minerals. Angola renewed a $3.75 million annual deal with Squire Patton Boggs, emphasizing its rare earth reserves and strategic Lobito Corridor. Critics warn these transactional deals risk deepening inequality and enabling resource exploitation, as U.S. firms gain privileged access to vital minerals. Meanwhile, communities in conflict zones face growing instability and fewer basic services, raising concerns that Washington’s new diplomacy is prioritizing minerals over justice.