Nairobi — Five months after the Global Fund announced the disbursement of $4.2 million to Uganda to avert an HIV/Aids treatment crisis in the country, the money is yet to be released.

To compound it all, Uganda has not qualified for Round 9 of the Global Fund -- implying a $20 million funding gap in HIV leading to early deaths due to treatment interruptions.

HIV/Aids financing delays and cuts by development partners are now causing rationing of anti-retroviral drugs with most medical institutions turning away new patients.

"As I speak now, I have a letter asking me to stop enrolling children. Even if all factors remain constant we still need the government to help or we shall not achieve universal access," said Prof Addy Kekitiinwa, the executive director of Baylor Uganda Children's Foundation.

The latest cut is by the US President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar), the largest funder of HIV programmes in Uganda, which announced that from April next year it will slash close to $1 million from the $7 million annual contribution it have been making to the paediatric HIV programme.

Although the Global Fund kitty is available, it is not yet accessible.

Officials from the Ministry of Health say the money has been disbursed from New York to the Bank of Uganda, but there are administrative problems that are hindering its use.

"The Global Fund at first disbursed it to the wrong account. When the signatory to that account was changed, there was further delay," said Commissioner of Planning and Development Dr Francis Runumi.

The signatory, Mary Nannono, the former Health permanent secretary, was interdicted and replaced in an acting capacity by Dr Sam Zaramba.

The $4.2 million, which was supposed to be a stopgap measure, is now expected to be disbursed early next year.

According to records, at least 70 per cent of the people who had not accounted for the funds have already been cleared, recovering at least $1 million from institutions and individuals implicated in the misappropriation.

But even then the funds that could be accessed in Round 7 and Round 3 are not yet available although the two parties had earlier this year committed to resolving all outstanding issues so that the intended beneficiaries are not affected.

"The weaknesses that the two sides had were identified and rectified. We shall ensure that the bad past is left behind," said State Minister for Health Dr Richard Nduhura.

But Ministry of Health officials say that all other conditions like improvement of the procurement/supply chain and a third party agent have been fulfilled.

However, funds for Rounds 7 and 3 cannot be accessed.

"If we could access the $254 million for the two rounds, it would be enough to take us through the next two years. We have lost Round 9 but it was rated fit for resubmission," the Global Fund co-ordinator at Uganda Aids Commission, Jim Arinaitwe said.

The country missed out on Round 8 of the Global Fund last year but had approval for two proposals under Rounds 3 and 7, which were supposed to provide enough funds for running HIV programmes.

But all these funds have not come in on time, a situation that has affected treatment programmes in Uganda and spelt doom for people who go out to test for HIV because the drugs, their only hope are not available anymore.

Accusing it of having a stereotyped way of working and that is too limited in its approach. The official said that when Uganda mismanaged only $1.6million they rushed to arrest the culprits with no mechanism for redress.