US CUTS BACK SH 2BN HEALTH SUPPORT IN KENYA OVER CORRUPTION CLAIMS
US Ambassador Robert Godec addressing vernacular radio stations journalists at Imperial Hotel, Kisumu, on May 9, 2017. He said the US suspended financial support to the Ministry of Health due to lack of accountability. PHOTO |TONNY OMONDI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
IN SUMMARY
The suspension is not expected to affect direct support to patients, including provision of anti-retroviral drugs to nearly one million HIV patients.
US Ambassador to Kenya Robert Godec said that Washington was concerned whether the billions of shillings it spends on health programmes in the country really serve the interests of the majority since there were major accounting gaps.
The Sh5 billion health scandal was on Tuesday thrust back into the limelight as the US government suspended financial support worth nearly Sh2.1 billion to the ministry due what it called corruption, weak accounting procedures and lack of accountability.
The move is likely to hurt outreach and training programmes by the ministry, which on Tuesday sought to downplay the cuts describing them as only a small portion of overall US health investment in Kenya, which exceeds Sh65 billion annually.
“This suspension only affects programme administrative support and does not affect health service delivery to Kenyans,” said Health Cabinet Secretary Cleopa Mailu.
“Consequently, we assure Kenyans that stock-outs or non-availability of medical supplies will not be experienced. Therefore, there will be no interruptions of health care provisions during the period of suspension.”
MAJOR ACCOUNTING GAPS
US Ambassador to Kenya Robert Godec had earlier in the morning said that Washington was concerned whether the billions of shillings it spends on health programmes in the country really serve the interests of the majority since there were major accounting gaps.
He said US taxpayers — whose money is used to fund health programmes such as nutrition supplements, family planning, maternal and child health, HIV/Aids, disease outbreak, surveillance and training — require that such resources are spent appropriately.
The suspension is, however, not expected to affect direct support to patients, including provision of anti-retroviral drugs to nearly one million HIV patients, HIV test kits, nutritional supplements, family planning products and other essential equipment.
These are considered part of a larger group of commodities and equipment related to life-saving treatment, prevention, outbreak or emergency response.
REVOLVE AROUND CORRUPTION
“What we have done on health assistance is to temporarily suspend technical support that goes directly to the Ministry of Heath because of the ongoing concerns about accounting processes and procedures that revolve around corruption,” said Dr Godec during a training session of vernacular radio station journalists on election reporting in Kisumu.
He added: “We are working with the ministry on ways to improve accounting and internal controls and hope to restore the funding when appropriate progress is made.”
These remarks reinforce the subject matter of a two-page letter dated May 8 by Brian Woody, the USAid Kenya and East Africa contracting officer, to various implementing partners announcing the suspension to national level programmes at Afya House, “until such a time that certain specific conditions are met.”
The letter, addressed to implementing partners, says in part that “whether you receive a separate letter or not, you are to refrain from any activities further specified in this letter and inform your contracting or agreement officer immediately.”
STOPPED EXPENDITURE
“Any activities conducted with the Ministry of Health during the period of suspension will not be reimbursed by the United States government,” warns Mr Woody.
By that simple letter, the US government immediately stopped expenditure on salaries and wages, operations, domestic and international travel as well as meetings and workshops for the ministry’s employees
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