Kenya is among countries that cannot fully account for Covid-19 relief funds especially on donations by individuals and corporates. According to IBP, accountability was undermined by the lack of adequate information on the implementation of Covid-19 response policies. In April, an almost similar report tracking expenditure of Covid-19 relief funds revealed that Kenya channeled a mere one per cent of pandemic-related bailout funds to SMEs despite having a credit guarantee scheme and on-lending funds by banks. Abraham Rugo Muriu, IBP country manager in Kenya said the country could make significant strides in providing greater opportunity for civil society to inform and influence deeply consequential decisions the government is making around Covid-19 relief spending. Some of those measures include publishing monthly progress reports on policy implementation or regularly updating implementation information on web portals.

Source: The Star August 03, 2021 07:07 UTC