The Namibian (Windhoek)

Namibia: Another Global Fund Casualty

By Denver Kisting, 14 February 2011

THE Global Fund and Ministry of Health and Social Services partnership has claimed another casualty: Pamela Onyango, the Programme Management Unit (PMU) director was sacked a week ago.

Kahijoro Kahuure, the ministry's Permanent Secretary (PS), confirmed that he had given Onyango the boot.

According to him, she was sacked because she used Global Fund money for a tuberculosis (TB) project without proper approval. He said: "It (the application of the funds) might have been for a good cause, but it was not necessarily approved."

Asked whether criminal action will be instituted against Onyango, the PS said: "No, there was nothing corrupt or fraudulent. I look at that [what she did] as an omission and I had to release her of her duties."

The PMU was set up to assist the ministry with the management of Global Fund money as well as the implementation of its projects.

It is in accordance with the Global Fund's rules and regulations that Onyango had to be fired. "It is a rule-based organisation and everything must be done to the spirit of the organisation," Kahuure said.

A week ago, in a barely disguised attack against Lironga Eparu, the Global Fund announced that it "has zero tolerance for corruption and actively seeks to uncover the misuse of funds".

The international funder of projects to fight AIDS, TB and malaria said it "deploys some of the rigorous procedures to detect fraud and fight corruption of any organisation financing development".

Global Fund recently withdrew all its financial support to Lironga Eparu, a Namibian HIV-AIDS body.

Moses Ikanga, the Lironga Eparu's board chairperson said last week the support was pulled as a result of personal grudges against executive director Emma Tuahepa.

Global Fund boss Michel Kazatchkine last week said: "Transparency is a guiding principle behind the work of the Global Fund and we expect it to be held to the highest standards of accountability."

About 45 000 people living with HIV-AIDS are out in the cold after the Global Fund through the Ministry of Health and Social Services withdrew all funding to the Lironga Eparu late last year.

  • Comment (1)

Copyright © 2011 The Namibian. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 130 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.

Comments Post a comment

  • Lady in the Know
    Feb 16 2011, 09:14
    Report Abuse

    The Global Fund would do well to thoroughly investigate GF grants to Humana People to People's DAPP.

    This organization is tied to Tvind/Teachers Group, whose top leaders are wanted by Danish authorities for serious financial crimes. Several have already been jailed.

    There is plenty of information on the web about the Tvind/TG/HPP global conglomerate.

    Do your research!