Photo: Members of the Parliamentary Health Committee commit to lead the fight against TB during meeting hosted by the Stop TB Partnership-Kenya (Courtesy: STOP TB Partnership – Kenya )
‘We cannot sustain meaningful engagements and interventions on TB as a health crisis if we do not question leakage of existing funds however minimal. Global Fund remains one of the biggest funders to our TB programs as a country, yet the Global Fund’s Office of Inspector General’s (OIG’s) recent report revealed fraudulent practices culminating to an estimated Kshs5.7 million lost in the National TB Program’
Above were the sentiments of KELIN’s Deputy Director during a breakfast meeting hosted by the Stop TB Partnership-Kenya for the National Assembly Parliamentary Health Committee. The meeting, hosted on 21 February 2018, was prompted by the awareness that Kenya remains among the 30 countries with the highest burden of TB globally, and fourth in Africa closely trailing South Africa, Nigeria and Ethiopia.
The focus of the breakfast meeting was to create awareness among Members of Parliament (MPs) on the growing TB statistics, re-affirm their commitment on TB matters and finally bring to their attention the scheduled 2018 September UN High Level meeting on TB.
Civil societies present at this forum put emphasis on the need for a multi-sectoral response to the disease, implementation of the decision of the High Court on isolation of TB patients in more humane conditions, and the need for more political will and accountability in prudent use of funds available to the National Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Lung Disease program (NTLDP). The latter was in light of the recently released report of the Global Fund Office of the Inspector General which found no reasonable assurance of delivery of services amounting to Kshs 5,766,200. It is worth noting that the NTLDP, in response to civil society concerns over misuse of funds, indicated that action had been taken against three employees involved in the fraud.
Photo: Ms. Saoyo Tabith makes her intervention to the committee members. (Courtesy: STOP TB Partnership – Kenya )
Bearing in mind that the African Union (AU), during its 30th Assembly of Heads of State and Government (held between 22 and 29 January 2018) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, launched 2018 as the African Anti-Corruption Year. The forum reaffirmed some of KELIN’s findings in the TB Legal Environment Assessment Report. We however remain hopeful that the Parliamentary Health Committee will continuously exercise its oversight authority over the Executive and also advance the inclusion of human rights as part of the broad interventions desirable to reduce the TB burden in the country.
To contribute to the discussions on this forum follow KELIN on our social media platforms: Twitter: @KELINkenya using hashtag #Justice2Health #TB
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kelinkenya
For more information contact:
Saoyo Tabitha Griffith
Deputy Executive Director
Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV & AIDS (KELIN)
4th Floor, Somak Building, Mombasa Road
Tel +254202515790
Email: tsaoyo@kelinkenya.org
