News
HST Collects relevant news from a variety of sources, for your convenience. Select a story from below, or use our search feature to find stories of interest.

Big Setback in War On Aids
Mike Mwaniki
2004-06-25

Kenya's war on Aids has suffered a major setback after the World Bank withheld crucial funding.

Kenya's war on Aids has suffered a major setback after the World Bank withheld crucial funding.

The decision not to release Sh1.7 billion has crippled the National Aids Control Council, the organisation charged with coordinating a national response to the epidemic. The bank says it will not release the money until it gets an audit report for the past financial year that will take months to prepare.

NACC director Patrick Orege yesterday said the delayed Auditor-General's report for 2002/2003 would be made available to the bank in six weeks. Dr Orege blamed red tape for the delay in providing the required audit report saying the decision by the bank to withhold the funding had crippled the operations of his Council.

The World Bank is the leading donor to the council, providing about Sh4 billion (50 million) over five years, under a loan agreement signed in 2001. Of the withheld funds, Sh1.3 billion was to be given out to non-governmental and community based organisations. Aids control units in various ministries were to receive Sh440 million.

My appeal is to the World Bank to look at HIV/Aids as a national disaster and immediately release the funding, Dr Orege said.

He added: About 3,000 groups involved in the war against Aids at the grassroots, whose proposals have been approved for funding, cannot receive any money until the bank releases the funds. Dr Orege was addressing journalists during a one-day workshop at Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi. The workshop discussed NACC's strategic plan for 2006-2010.

Dr Orege said 13 briefcase NGOs would soon be prosecuted for embezzling money given by NACC to fight Aids at the grassroots. The director of one organisation, based in Bungoma, is said to have received Sh2 million but spent only Sh150,000 on Aids work.

Office of the President Permanent Secretary Dave Mwangi, who opened the workshop, said Sh1.075 billion had been given out to 1,505 NGOs and community-based organisations countrywide by May 31. Aids control units has received Sh262 million.

However, in the past one year, the World Bank has not released any funds for this component because the units had been slow in accounting for the funds. He said PSs would meet next week to discuss ways of speeding up accounting for World Bank funds. (Source: The Nation, 23 June 2004)

Keywords	This Item is associated with the Following Keywords: .
You Can Comment on this Item, or View other people's Comments
Easy Print  Email to a friend

	Related News
	World Bank and IMF Preventing Transfer of Foreign Aid to HIV/AIDS Programmes (2005-05-25) ZIMBABWE: Global Fund grant to come through, finally (2005-04-06) World Bank accused of deception over malaria funding (2006-05-02) SA drug company lands US contract (2004-12-17) LESOTHO: Need to improve local anti-AIDS capacity (2004-02-05)

	Related Publications
	Progress on Global Access to HIV Antiretroviral Therapy - An update on '3 by 5' (2005-07-04) 2002/3 Annual report of the Registrar of Medical Schemes (2003-09-19) Mapping of HIV and AIDS Services and Resources in South Africa (2006-06-27) Intergovernmental Fiscal Review 2003 (2003-06-17) 3 by 5 Progress Report (2005-01-26)

	Related Health Statistics
	AIDS orphans (2005-04-20) AIDS sick (number of people with AIDS-defining conditions) (2005-04-20) Percentage of deaths due to AIDS (2005-04-20) HIV prevalence (%) (antenatal) (2004-10-04) Population (2004-10-04)

	Related Events
	International Conference on HIV/AIDS, Food and Nutrition Security (2005-04-14) 2nd National Multisectoral AIDS Conference - Tanzania (2002-12-16) International Conference on Health Research for Development (2000-10-10) The 5th International Conference on Home and Community Care for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (2001-12-17) 5th HEARD HIV/AIDS Workshop: Planning for HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa (2002-10-28)

	Related links
	World AIDS Day Aidsmap The AIDS Consortium The South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) The Topsy Foundation

	Related Content
	HST Conference 2007 : Registration Information (2007-08-31) Summary Bulletin 2 - DHS-LG Discussion List (2004-07-16) District Health Barometer - Use (2005-01-20) History of HST (2004-03-10) Summary Bulletin 10 (August) - DHS-LG Discussion List (2004-07-16)