US envoy rejects activists’ demands

Wednesday, 25 April 2012

The US has said Kenya should increase its spending on HIV because donors may not absorb future costs of treatment and prevention. Ambassador Scott Gration said the US President's Emergency Programme on Aids Relief is already absorbing the bulk of this cost yet it was started as a stopgap measure. “This was an emergency programme and we'd not want to make the abnormal normal,” he said. Pepfar is the single largest contributor to Kenya's Aids programmes.

Gration said the programme will spend Sh40.9 billion ($487 million) in Kenya this year. “We have an obligation to help Kenyans but the government also has to take responsibility,” he said in Nairobi on the sidelines of a review conference on contribution of health to Vision 2030.

He was reacting to demands by more than 100 activists who temporarily blocked entrance to the venue, the Laico Regency hotel, demanding that Pepfar release a “huge pot of unspent funds for Kenya” amounting to $500 million. They said this will increase the number of Kenyans on life-prolonging anti-retroviral drugs from 500,000 to one million. Gration said he received their petition but disputed the $500 million figure saying it is an “issue of playing with numbers”.

Activists also wanted the US Embassy to involve them in management of Pepfar in Kenya. “All of Pepfar's processes should include independent organisations recognised as representing people living with HIV,” said the petition signed by Nelson Otuoma, head of the umbrella lobby group Nephak. However Gration said this was not possible because Pepfar has a contract only with the government. “They need to talk with the Government of Kenya,” he said.

At least Sh57.7 billion ($687 million) was spent on HIV/Aids in Kenya in 2010, according to the National Health Accounts. Donors financed 51 per cent of that while the government contributed 21 per cent mainly through health facilities.

At least 1.5 million Kenyans are living with HIV, according to the 2007 figures currently being revised by the National Aids Control Council. The World Health Organisation says ARV treatment should begin immediately one is diagnosed with HIV because that reduces the spread. Otuoma said more than one million Kenyans should therefore be on ARVs.

Assistant minister for Medical Services Kazungu Kambi said there are ongoing talks with Treasury to increase funds for HIV. “We are also discouraging reliance on donors and this will be addressed through increased government funding and cost-sharing in the budget this year,” he said.