Kenya’s Health Chief Administrative Secretary Rashid Aman. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NMG Kenya has returned to the Global Fund for $31.1 million to boost its Covid-19 response amid an ambitious vaccination plan targeting the entire adult population by the end of 2022.
The financing will help Kenya buy vaccines through an African Union facility and that of Covax— the global scheme for sharing jabs.
The Global Fund has so far approved Ksh7.44 billion ($68.9 million) in grants to support Kenya in mitigating the effects of the pandemic under its Covid-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM) programme.
“On June 15, the country submitted an additional funding request of Ksh3.3 billion ($31.1 million), which is currently under review, to boost the Covid-19 response,” Health Chief Administrative Secretary Rashid Aman said on Tuesday.
Previous Global Fund grants went to the purchase of automated and manual tests kits, personal protective equipment (PPEs), and oxygen equipment and support for containment activities at community level.
The C19RM supports countries to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria programmes. Countries that are currently receiving funding from the Global Fund are eligible to apply for the new funding.
Kenya announced a revised vaccination plan that now targets 26 million adult Kenyans by end of next year.