The United States has announced plans to impose visa restrictions on several African leaders, with Kenya potentially among the countries affected, over the use of Cuban doctors in their healthcare systems.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed that the sanctions would target African, Cuban, and Grenadian government officials alleged to be complicit in what Washington called Cuba's "coerced forced labour export scheme." Kenya was among the countries that benefited from the Cuban doctors' programme, introduced in 2018 under the administration of then-President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The initiative deployed dozens of Cuban specialists to Kenyan hospitals, while Kenyan doctors were sent to Cuba for training.
However, the agreement was brought to an end in 2023 after six years in operation.
