4 April 2008
editorial
Nairobi — Kenya's efforts to stem the spread and mitigate the impact of HIV and Aids are getting derailed as attention slowly shifts from the scourge.
A report in our health pull-out Thursday made two revelations. The first was that the country's stock of anti-retroviral drugs was running out.
The second was that the country risks losing Sh13 billion under the Global Fund for HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria due to inability to manage the money.
By last year, the country had recorded major success in the campaign against HIV and Aids. Prevalence rates had fallen to all-time low of 5.9 per cent, up from 11 per cent a few years ago.
The decline was achieved through aggressive sensitisation campaigns and use of ARVs to prolong the lives of those infected. And these were partly funded by the Global Fund.
It is understandable that the procurement of ARVs was halted in the past two months because of the political crisis that engulfed the country after the December polls.
But that is behind us, and the Health ministry has no reason for failing to provide new stocks.
The worst story, however, is that the country may not receive fresh disbursements from the Global Fund because of lack of accountability.
The national leadership must refocus attention to the anti-Aids campaign, procure the ARVs urgently and mostly importantly, give proper accounts for the Global Fund.
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