Dorah Nesoba
26 February 2003
Nairobi — The Government was yesterday urged to rescind its decision to transfer the National Aids Control Council (Nacc) from the Office of the President to the Ministry of Health.
Nacc Director, Dr Margaret Gachara said the Office of the President is better placed in overseeing co-ordination activities of the organisation.
Gachara was responding to Health Minister Charity Ngilu's demand that Nacc be moved to her ministry to facilitate co-ordination of the HIV/Aids programmes and stop the current duplication of roles.
At the same time, Chris Kirubi, chairman of the Kenya HIV/Aids Business Council said Health Minister Charity Ngilu had attacked Nacc unnecessarily and her remarks were unwarranted.
He said the Health Ministry should not have a monopoly in running the activities of Nacc but should play its role as a partner.
Ngilu had accused some Nacc officials of 'wasting' funds through fruitless workshops instead of initiating co-ordinated programmes to fight Aids especially in the villages.
Gachara said the Health Ministry cannot solely manage Nacc as it is charged with other core functions including blood screening, treatment and Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT).
"Nacc has never been under the Ministry of Health and nobody can claim to have monopoly over it. It should remain in OP for purposes of co-ordination," she said.
They were speaking at a Nairobi Hotel, during the launch of a partnership on HIV/Aids workplace programme.
Gachara stressed that there is no duplication of roles and the purpose of Nacc being in OP is purely for the co-ordination of multi-sectoral approaches.
Kirubi said President Kibaki should be the chairman of Nacc and instead of delegating responsibility he should take command.
"This is a war that we must all strive to end and the president is equivalent to a war-time General. When there is a war the General does not delegate but leads his troops," said Kirubi.
Gachara said Nacc has made remarkable achievements including the formation of Kenya Aids NGO's consortium (Kanco), Network of People living with HIV/Aids and the Business Council.
"These organisations were formed through Nacc's efforts to get a multi-sectoral approach to the disease," she said.
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