Several United States (US) Embassies across Africa have halted regular social media updates due to a lapse in U.S. government funding.
In a notice on Monday, February 2, 2026, the embassies, including Nairobi, also announced that only urgent safety and security information will be shared during this period, as routine updates on services and general announcements will be temporarily halted.
“Due to a lapse in appropriations, website updates will be limited until full operations resume,” the notice read.
However, the embassies maintained that scheduled passport and visa transit services in the United States, as well as at U.S. Embassies and Consulates overseas, will continue where operations permit.
The suspension comes after a lapse in federal government funding when Congress failed to pass a funding bill amid disputes over immigration enforcement and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spending.
Senate Democrats withheld support for the package, citing concerns over ICE operations and public backlash to immigration raids in Minneapolis as lawmakers pushed for stricter oversight, including mandatory codes of conduct, use-of-force guidelines, body cameras, and visible identification for federal agents.
Although the Senate reached a bipartisan agreement on Friday, January 30, 2026, to fund federal agencies through September 2026, the House had already adjourned for the weekend.
With lawmakers unable to return in time to vote on the amended Senate bill, a government shutdown became unavoidable, taking effect as early as Saturday, January 31, 2026.
This is the second such government shutdown in the past year and comes just 11 weeks after the end of the previous funding impasse that lasted 43 days, the longest in US history.
That shutdown in 2025, which spanned October 1 to November 14, had widespread impacts on essential government services, including air travel and left hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay for weeks.
This shutdown, however, is unlikely to be that long or widespread, as the House of Representatives is set to be back in session.
The White House, though, has directed several agencies, including the departments of transportation, education and defence, to execute shutdown plans.
“Employees should report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities. We hope that this lapse will be short,” the White House said.
Trump has urged Republicans, who hold the majority of seats in the US House, to vote for the deal.
Lawmakers plan to use the fortnight in which the DHS will continue to be funded to negotiate a deal. Democrats want that deal to include new policies for immigration enforcement agents.
“We need to rein in ICE and end the violence,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“That means ending roving patrols. It means requiring rules, oversight, and judicial warrants. Masks need to come off, cameras need to stay on, and officers need visible identification. No secret police.”
