VERBATIM: Statement by the Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund Board

H.E. The President established the Kenya Covid-19 Fund Board bringing together private sector players and key Government representatives to mobilise resources towards combating the spread, effects and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The spirit of “harambee” was the basis for its establishment – to bring together the private sector, individual citizens, non-state actor organizations and the Government to contribute ideas, resources, and action towards supporting Covid-19 mitigation measures.

The facts are as follows:

1. The Covid-19 Fund Board was formed as a private sector entity to drive rapid mobilisation of resources to help deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. The fund received cash and in-kind contributions from well-wishers, corporate bodies, multinational institutions. The total amount was Kshs 2.6 billion in cash and an equivalent of Kshs 0.5 billion, mainly in form of food.
2. Contributions to the fund were from, among others, Equity Group Foundation (Kshs 1.1 billion), Safaricom (Kshs 250 million), KCB (Kshs 150 million), ABSA (Kshs 150 million), Co-operative Bank (Kshs 100 million) and NCBA (Kshs 100 million).The Fund did not receive any monies from the Exchequer: any receipts from Government agencies were collated as personal donations.
3. These fund identified two priority pillars: health and livelihood/welfare interventions. On the health pillar the fund prioritised supporting local manufacturing for building capacity in the spirit of ‘Buy Kenya, Build Kenya’. For instance, the procurement of all PPEs was done from local manufacturers with the technical support of Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) to drive quality. This approach stimulated of the local economy and delivered significant cost efficiencies. On livelihoods, at the height of the pandemic we supported over 100,000 families with stipends and food.
4. The Fund Board adopted utmost transparency and good corporate governance with various committees set up (including Audit, Fundraising, Livelihood and Procurement committees).   All services of the Board Members, Fund Secretariat, private sector professionals, health sector experts, audit firms and other actors offered their services on a pro-bono basis .
5. The Fund Board is incorporated as a company limited by guarantee. In view of the public interest nature of the Fund’s raison d’être, the Fund Board approved, and subjected the full operations and activities of the Fund to audit by the Auditor General. The Audit Report did not raise any concerns or adverse finding with respect to the financial statements, integrity of procedures adopted, transparency of information provided, or the value for money aspects of the Fund’s operations and chosen interventions.
6. The Fund continues to support Covid-related provision of PPEs to designated health institutions totalling 116, faith-based mission hospitals and county designated COVID-19 facilities.

The Board would like to thank all the well-wishers and institutions that have supported us so far and all volunteers who continue to support the activities of the Fund.

The Fund Board regrets the misunderstanding that has been occasioned by the recent coverage as relates to its operations. We have exercised our role prudently and diligently – and we are proud of the broad set of interventions executed by the Fund that have helped the most vulnerable Kenyans during this challenging time.

For any clarification/s, please reach out to the Secretariat through Clinton on 0702 000044.

Kenya COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund Secretariat

January 27, 2022