15 September 2015
NAIROBI – Kenya and the Global Fund signed seven grant agreements today worth a total of US$333 million to expand interventions for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, including efforts to reach one million people with treatment for HIV by 2017.
The financial resources provided through the Global Fund come from many sources and partners, represented today at a signing event by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, the UK Department for International Development, Japan, the European Union, the UK Department for International Development, UNAIDS and WHO, among others.
“We are pleased that we can all work together in the fight against the diseases,” said Henry Rotich, Cabinet Secretary of Kenya’s National Treasury. “Through these programs we expect to reach one million people with ARV treatment, distribute seven million long lasting insecticide-treated nets to protect families from malaria, and significantly scale-up multidrug-resistant treatment for tuberculosis by 2017.”
James Macharia, Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Health, added: “The Ministry of Health is committed to continue working in partnership with civil society principal recipients, development partners, and country stakeholders to ensure that grant activities reach Kenyans in need.”
Robert F. Godec, U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, said: “The collective effort of the Global Fund, the Government of Kenya, and civil society, in the fight against these pandemics has already saved countless lives in Kenya and has reduced the suffering and misery that accompany these diseases.”
The grants will also support programs for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, expanding the coverage from 66 percent to 90 percent. The grants signed today include a regional one that focuses on activities for harm reduction, which will be implemented by KANCO in eight East and Southern African countries.
“Kenya is an excellent example of partnership at work,” said Mark Edington, Head of Grant Management of the Global Fund. “It is inspiring to see how the country is conducting successful country dialogues, ensuring that partners, civil society and other key stakeholders are represented and interventions prioritized.”
Barbara Hughes, Chair of the Development Partners for Health in Kenya, said: “We reiterate the development partners’ continued commitment to working with the Government of Kenya and the Global Fund towards ensuring that the grants achieve maximum impact.”
Abbas Gullet, Secretary General of the Kenya Red Cross Society, speaking on behalf of the Civil Society organizations, said: “We are glad that we can continue strengthening community HIV response. In this grant, we are delighted to introduce interventions targeting HIV prevention among adolescents and young girls as we continue to strengthen our existing response to the people most vulnerable to HIV infection notably children born to HIV positive mothers and key populations.”
The grants will be managed by four organizations: The National Treasury of the Government of Kenya, the African Medical and Research Foundation, the Kenya Red Cross Society and the Kenya AIDS NGOs Consortium (KANCO).
The funding under these grants includes an additional US$28 million that the Kenyan Government has allocated as part of its domestic financing obligations. Whereas Kenya has increased its budget allocation for health from US$478 million in 2009 to US$1.1 billion in 2013, there is still the need to invest more local resources in health.
“By working together, this partnership can achieve more impact in changing the lives of Kenyans, contributing to their health and to economic development,” added Mr. Edington.