Kenya Covid-19 emergency fund board begins work - KBC

The COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund Board has commenced its mandate with its primary mandate being to mobilise resources for an emergency response towards containing the spread, effects and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other objectives of the fund include supporting the government’s efforts in the supply of medical facilities and equipment and support for vulnerable communities with their immediate needs, including food

“The Board will fulfil its mandate with the utmost transparency and good corporate governance. The Board will make public all contributions and expenditure regularly,” said Jane Karuku, Board Chair.

“For accountability, the Board is working with professional services firms PwC Kenya, Deloitte Kenya and EY Kenya who are providing pro-bono assurance services,” she added.

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Ms Karuku said that the board was fully aware of the challenging economic times that Kenyans are facing arising from the effects of COVID-19 pandemic, “….. for this reason, the Board will reach out primarily to corporate entities, development partners and multinational institutions for their contributions to the Fund,” she stated.

On Monday, March 30, 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta, appointed The COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund Board and later commissioned it on April 2, 2020.

So far, the Board has received Ksh 100M from Co-op Bank, Ksh 100 million, a Ksh 100 million contribution in the form of oxygen masks to government hospitals by Devki Group Chairman Narendra Raval.

UAP Group Old Mutual Faulu Foundation has committed Ksh 6 million for humanitarian initiatives in response to the pandemic in Kenya with Ksh 5 million going into the support of the national initiatives of containing the pandemic.