The Total War Against HIV and AIDS (TOWA) Project will assist Kenya to further reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, which dropped from over 13 percent in 2001 to about 6 percent in 2005, by further strengthening the governance of the National AIDS Control Council (NACC)—the lead agency for designing strategies and overseeing the implementation of programs to control the pandemic. The programs include the use of grant funds by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which will be subjected to rigorous and transparent processes of selection, implementation monitoring and performance. This approach includes greater community oversight and blacklisting of NGOs that do not perform.
“We are confident that through this support, community HIV and AIDS priority issues and other interventions targeting vulnerable groups will be given precedence. This will enable Kenya to reduce further the spread of HIV and AIDS, improve the quality of life of those affected and infected, and mitigate the social-economic impact of the pandemic in Kenya”, says Allan Ragi, the Executive Director of the Kenya AIDS NGOs Consortium (KANCO).
The TOWA is the first credit from the World Bank to Kenya for HIV and AIDS since its approval in December 2000 of the US$50 million Kenya HIV and AIDS Disaster Response Project (KHADREP). KHADREP helped Kenya to achieve significant progress in the fight against the pandemic, but also experienced mismanagement of some project funds by some officials and NGOs; it closed in December 2005. The new project was approved after remedial action was taken, and following extensive consultations between the Kenyan Government, the World Bank, and other stakeholders on new organizational structures and safeguards within NACC.
The TOWA support will further enhance the governance in NACC. The measures include: (a) a results-oriented and performance-based award mechanism for grants; (b) the introduction of transparent decision-making processes with full dissemination of information; and (c) strengthened financial management and procurement capacity.
“This decision by the World Bank Board to resume funding the national HIV and AIDS program, following remedial action, is consistent with the emphasis on equity and governance in the recent Country Assistance Strategy Progress Report,” noted Colin Bruce, the Bank’s Country Director for Kenya. “We are determined that the support should reach the 5 million people in Kenya—especially orphans and young women—who are directly and indirectly affected and made very vulnerable by the disease.”
Implementation will be monitored closely to ensure that the support reaches the groups at high risk of contracting HIV and AIDS, and achieves greater impact through better coordination of donor efforts.
The British Department for International Development (DFID) is expected to provide US$33 million in additional financing through TOWA. “We are really pleased with the World Bank’s renewed support to HIV/AIDS”, says Simon Bland, Head of DFID in Kenya. “Although HIV prevalence has reduced recently, there are still up to 70,000 new infections each year and there is no reason for complacency. Harmonizing our support with the World Bank is an important change in the way we and others are funding HIV/AIDS under NACC’s leadership. We hope it will be the start of greater harmonization for all development partners for HIV/AIDS.”
The credit is provided on standard International Development Association (IDA) terms, with a commitment fee of 0.35 percent, a service charge of 0.75 percent over a 40 year period of maturity which includes a 10-year grace period. -The World Bank
