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Kenya gets Sh35 billion boost for HIV, malaria fight

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ANTI-RETROVIRAL DRUGS. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Kenya has received a billion shilling grant from Global Fund to help tackle HIV, Tuberculosis (TB) and malaria.

A Sh35 billion request by the Ministry of Health was approved even as some western donors remain lukewarm about supporting the country's health programmes due to past corruption allegations at Afya House.

Most of the funding will be used to procure commodities and life-saving medicines for people living with HIV, TB and malaria between 2018 and 2020.

The development is a relief for Afya House, coming just three months after the US government indefinitely suspended its funding to some key programmes that are dependent on donor funding citing wastage and theft of funds at the ministry.

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“Kenya's funding application was found to be technically sound and strategically focused. The panel also recommended that Kenya proceeds with the grant making process,” said the Health Principal Secretary, Julius Korir yesterday.

“We assure Kenyans benefitting from services supported by the Global Fund grants that access to services and supplies will not be interrupted by the electioneering process,” he added.

Mr Korir was speaking at Afya House, the ministry’s headquarters during a Kenya Coordinating Mechanism meeting together with Global Fund Country Team lead by Mr John Ochero.

He said the ministry had placed the grant request application to Global Fund in May.

The charity has between 2003 and 2016 signed 16 grants to Kenya worth $896 million (about Sh93 billion), according to the ministry.

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Key CBK Indicative Exchange Rate Used: $1 = Sh103.87