Global Fund Rejects Kenya’s Application for Sh12.4 Billion Grant over Transparency

The Global Fund has rejected Kenya’s application for an Sh12.4 billion grant over transparency concerns.

The organization cited Kenya’s decision to drop the Kenya Red Cross Society from managing the funds for the fight against, malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis (TB).

Global Fund noted that at least two non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are required in managing the funds, noting that Kenya’s decision to drop Red Cross lacked transparency.

Kenya had appointed only the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) to manage the funds and is required to make a fresh application by Monday.

“The process did not comply with the eligibility criteria of ensuring an open and transparent principal recipient selection process, based on clearly defined and objective criteria,” Global Fund said.

Kenya has already been allocated Sh42 billion by the Global Fund for the next two years starting July 2021.

70 percent of the amount will go to the Treasury and the rest will be directed to a non-state principal recipient (an NGO) which will then distribute the grants to smaller NGOs.

The non-state principal recipients are picked by a 23-member committee known as the Kenya Coordinating Mechanism (KCM). Members of the committee are drawn from government, counties, NGOs, and the private sector.

Global Fund indicated that KMC’s decision to kick out the Kenya Red Cross Society as a non-state principal recipient was unfair.

“The Global Fund recommends that the KCM cancels the non-state PR selection process as submitted to the Global Fund Secretariat on 31 August 2020 given the significant flaws noted in the financial evaluation part of the procurement process,” the Fund added.