The Kenyan government has accused the United States of acting in bad faith by cutting funding to the Ministry of Health over corruption and mismanagement concerns.
The U.S. suspended $21 million of funding to the Ministry due to the corruption claims.
Last year, the Ministry of Health was accused of corruption after it was alleged that the Ministry misappropriated $50 million by awarding contracts to politically-connected business people for “inflated” amounts.
In response to the concerns, Health Permanent Secretary Julius Korir disputed the claim that taxpayers had lost billions of shillings in a procurement scandal at the Ministry as reported in a preliminary audit last year, stating that the final analysis by the National Treasury found that there was no money lost.
The accusation came as Council of Governors chairman Peter Munya requested the U.S. to channel the money withdrawn from the ministry to the devolved units.
Speaking to local media after the launch of Participatory Forest Management Plans by the Kenya Forest Service and community forest associations at Marania Forest Station, Buuri Sub-County, in his Meru County, Mr Munya said counties needed money for devolved health services.
“We met every condition that they [U.S.] set for us: the internal controls for monitoring money, having competent personnel to implement the programmes that are funded and sealing all loopholes that would jeopardise accountability, among others,” said Mr Korir of the meeting.
In March, around four months after news of the Ministry’s scandal broke out, an executive order from US President Donald Trump announced that his budgetary allocations would put America first. Following this, Trump pushed a 62-page proposal to cut USAid funding by 28%.
In Kenya, USAid’s programmes are in, but not limited to, strengthening of health systems through information and training, management of HIV through outfits such as the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, malaria control initiatives, as well as maternal and child health.
But this is not the first time a U.S. President has attempted to disband the aid project: In 1992, George Bush Senior attempted to cut the plan and in 2006 attempts were made to clip its budgetary powers.
2008 saw USAid start making demands on accountability for the use of funding, in an effort to protect American taxpayer money.
Commenting on the latest cut, the U.S. has stressed that “support for life-saving and essential health services” will not be affected.
