The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is about to give Kenya another $345 million grant, after previously rejecting Kenyan grant applications. Kenya has had a troubled history with the use of donor’s funds, and previous grants have been refused or delayed because of funds and drugs which have been stolen or gone missing, a lack of proper record-keeping, delays in submitting auditors’ reports, and unhealthy competition between different government agencies.
The HIV infection rate in Kenya peaked at around 13.4% in 2000, and has since declined to around half that figure, according to official figures. Out of a population of 41 million, around 160,000 people are infected each year, with 44% of the new infections being through heterosexual relationships within a partnership, 20% through casual heterosexual relationships, 15% through sex workers, 15% through gay relationships and 6% through injected drug use.
The problem of fighting disease in a developing country is a difficult one for donors. Developing countries typically do not have strong institutions. If large amounts of money are given to government departments, the risk of corruption is high. If government institutions are bypassed in the distribution of healthcare, those institutions are weakened and the country becomes even more dependent on future aid.