The American dream for nearly 4,500 Kenyan families was abruptly thrown into jeopardy Friday after the Trump administration ordered an immediate suspension of the Diversity Visa (DV) program, popularly known as the Green Card lottery. The move, announced from Washington D.C., leaves the fate of thousands of selected winners in limbo.

This sudden policy shift directly impacts the 4,459 Kenyans who were selected for the DV-2025 program, placing Kenya sixth globally in the number of successful applicants. For these individuals and their families, who have already invested emotionally and financially in a rigorous application process, the suspension turns a moment of immense hope into one of profound anxiety.

A Reaction to Tragedy

The White House linked the suspension directly to a recent deadly shooting at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the suspected gunman, a Portuguese national, had entered the United States in 2017 through the diversity program. "At President Trump's direction, I am immediately directing USCIS to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program," Noem noted in a public statement.

This justification echoes long-held criticisms of the program by President Trump, who has consistently advocated for a merit-based immigration system and previously sought to end the lottery after a 2017 terrorist attack in New York was also tied to a DV recipient.

The Kenyan Cost of a Distant Crisis

For the thousands of Kenyan selectees, the news is a devastating blow. The path to the Green Card is not free; applicants pay a non-refundable interview fee of $330 (approx. KES 42,619), a significant sum for many. This investment, representing months of savings and aspiration, now hangs in the balance.

The Diversity Visa has long been a significant channel for legal immigration to the U.S., offering a route to permanent residency without the need for family or employer sponsorship. The program annually makes up to 55,000 green cards available to individuals from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States.

• DV-2025 Kenyan Selectees: 4,459
• Kenya's Global Rank: 6th highest number of winners
• Total Global Applicants (2025): Nearly 20 million
• Visas Available Annually: Up to 55,000

An Uncertain Future

Details on the suspension's length or its specific impact on those already in the pipeline remain scarce. It is unclear whether the pause affects only future lotteries or halts the processing for the DV-2025 winners who were preparing for their consular interviews. This ambiguity creates a cloud of uncertainty over every Kenyan family who believed their lives were about to change.

The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi has been processing DV-2026 cases, but it is not yet known how this new directive will affect local operations. For now, the thousands of Kenyans who held a winning ticket to a new life can only wait, caught in the crosscurrents of a policy decision made thousands of miles away.