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Kenya Risks Losing 100 Million Dollars Grant From Global Fund

Posted on: Friday, 31 March 2006, 09:00 CST

Kenya risks losing 100 million dollars grant from Global Fund

NAIROBI, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Kenya risks losing more than 100 million U.S. dollars worth of funding by Friday due to a lack of transparency regarding previous grants.

According to reports published here Thursday, the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has requested a report on how money allocated for the three killer diseases since September 2005 were spent.

Kenyan health workers have expressed fears that the drastic decision could put the lives of thousands of people living with HIV/ AIDS in serious jeopardy.

The patients, who are already on anti-retroviral (ARV) therapy, are at risk of developing drug resistance due to partial treatment.

The Fund voted to give the Kenyan government 134 million dollars but of the 34 million dollars it has already disbursed, Nairobi has failed to account for 10 million dollars.

Deputy Executive Director of the Global Fund, Hellen Evans who flew into the country early Wednesday, however, said Kenya's fate would be determined in two weeks' time when the Fund's board meets.

"The Fund's board will make a decision in two weeks' time," Evans told reporters after holding crisis talks with Health Minister Charity Ngilu on Wednesday.

Ngilu said the country had done well in fighting AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

She said by December 2003, only 2000 people living with HIV/ AIDS were on treatment but the figure had risen to 70,000 this year and hoped the figure would hit 140,000 by the same time next year.

The crisis meeting between health minister and Global Fund came shortly after civil society organizations raised concern that funding to AIDS, TB and Malaria could be shelved if Kenya does not avail audited certificates before 31 of this month.

The organizations charged that current financial disparities were thwarting their efforts to roll out care and treatment.

"For over six months now, our efforts to serve the sick have become more and more financially frustrated," said Dr Ignatius Kibe, coordinator of the Kenya Consortium to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria

Kibe told reporters that both the Treasury and the Health ministry had failed to "satisfactory" give an account of how part of the money was used and why some of it was yet to be handed over to pressure groups and religious organizations fighting HIV/AIDS.

The Treasury is given the Global Fund money while the Health ministry is responsible for distribution the life-prolonging drugs.

"If the Global Fund continues to withhold funding, the lives of thousands of people who are already taking the life-prolonging drugs will be at risk since they are likely to discontinue treatment," Kibe warned.

But Ngilu dismissed their claims that the money has been misused, stressing that the funds had been used properly and hoped that the support from the Global Fund would continue.

Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

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