The government is on the spot for delaying the release of at least Sh830 million in grants from Denmark for Covid-19 war in the counties.
The funds were to be released through the Danish International Development Agency (Danida), which coordinates the country’s development projects and other humanitarian and emergency interventions across the world.
The National Treasury was to receive the grants and direct them to the counties’ Special Purpose Accounts for the health funds, and the Water Sector Trust Fund for medical supplies, sanitation and hygiene response in the Covid-19 hotspots, among other activities.
Although National Treasury Chief Administrative Secretary Nelson Gaichuhie said Treasury was in communication with the Danish Embassy, Council of Governors (CoG) Chairman Wycliffe Oparanya accused the national government of frustrating the disbursement of the funds.
“We wrote a letter on 11th accepting (the fund),” Mr Gaichuhie said after Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani failed to respond to our inquiries.
But Mr Gaichuhie could not produce the letter he claims was written to the Danish Embassy, which, as a matter of courtesy and good order, should have been copied to the CoG.
REMINDERS IGNORED
On Wednesday, Mr Oparanya, who is also the governor of Kakamega, said the National Treasury’s failure to respond despite constant reminders from the Danish Embassy to release the funds is frustrating counties’ efforts in the fight against the pandemic.
“Following correspondence by Danida, we have noted the frustrations that the development partner is facing from the National Treasury, which has hampered expeditious processing of the money meant for emergency response to the current crisis. The National Treasury should provide guidelines on how the funds will be absorbed by counties,” Mr Oparanya said.
Nearly 800 Kenyans have been infected with the Covid-19 disease, and 42 have died.
In the May 8, 2020 letter to Mr Yatani, Danish Ambassador Mette Knudsen said the Treasury had not responded to two letters from the embassy — on April 16 and April 21 — regarding the grant.
“In the absence of a reply, the Danish Embassy will assume that the Government of Kenya is not interested,” Ms Knudsen says in the letter copied to the CSs for Health, Water, Devolution, Interior, Foreign Affairs and the CoG.