AMREF II, 22 August, 2003

KECOFATUMA Interim Secretary, Matt Black discusses a point with Ed Karanja,

Conference Chairman James Allego (STIPA) and Task Force member Barrack Otieno

On 22 August, 2003 KAWI as the convener of the The Task Force to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, co-organised and participated in a meeting of like minded Civil society stakeholders looking to CLEAN HOUSE to remove bogus and fraudulent groups from their number and improve the battered image of HIV/AIDS Kenya Civil Society.

The group of HIV/AIDS Civil Society activists aiming to clean house and affect change in this corruption riddled sector will now stand under the banner of Kenya Consortium to Fight Aids Tuberculosis and Malaria (KECOFATUMA).

The second historic meeting of Civil Society groups advocating for change to bring a TRANSPARENT, RESPONSIBLE, ACCOUNTABLE and INCLUSIVE leadership to HIV/AIDS Civil Society in Kenya was held at AMREF Training Centre Nairobi last Friday 22^nd August 2003. As at the first groundbreaking occasion, participants conducted themselves impeccably, showing patience, respectful attentiveness for the opinion of others and a willingness to seek unanimously acceptable resolutions.

AMREF 2 was a calling to all like minded organizations seeking to create an ALTERNATIVE CONSORTIUM that was predicated on values of TRANSPARENCY, RESPONSIBILITY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND INCLUSIVENESS.

The organizational representatives numbered over 130 and carefully selected through an eligibility process from all quarters of Kenya Civil Society demonstrated their spirit of collective responsibility for the improvement of HIV/AIDS crumbling structures in contributing 300KSh per participant. This was done without complaint and but for a few who had arrived with the clear intent of disrupting the process of pushing transparency to the fore in Kenya Civil Society, the reasoning behind the cost-sharing was well understood as a step to an inclusive structure without the proverbial, self-serving Dictate organization hiding behind a mask of altruism.

The secretary, Mr. Albert Kenyani outlined the highlights of the first AMREF meeting of July 22^nd. He recalled the free and fair elections for NGO representatives to the JICC. It was expressed that the main purpose of AMREF I was to elect NGO representatives to the JICC.

Kenyan democracy flying high at the AMREF I elections for JICC reps. July 2003

Ed Karanja of KAWI in recounting the events since AMREF I explained that Global Funds had been withheld until it was made clear which organizations would benefit and what the allocation for each was. He lamented the sorry state of the Kenyan effort to disperse the funds that had become littered with deception, misinformation, secrecy and acts of personal greed, before expressing his joy at the newfound hope in the alternative alliance that had been forming over recent months. Ed explained that the withholding of funds by the Global Fund was due to corruption allegations at NACC as well as the presence of ambiguous NGO beneficiaries that the Government needed to clarify.

Karanja highlighted a need to resolve the current chaos surrounding the Global Fund and for the alternative forum not to be dragged into the dirty politics of those set to lose out under a more transparent environment. Responding to criticism and mudslinging following AMREF I and in the build-up to this meeting, the KAWI Director clearly stated that KAWI is an implementing NGO and not an umbrella organization. He explained that the motivation behind the creation of an alternative platform for HIV/AIDS civil society lay in the fundamental principle of impartiality and independence that current umbrella organizations had breached in acting as an implementing NGOs. This conflict of interest, coupled with rampant corruption and politicking has, Ed Karanja stated that these organisations were now compromised to the extent where alternatives had to be sought.

At this point Chair Mr James Allego of STIPA called for a show of hands for the formalization of the Civil Society Task Force. The vote was unanimously in favour of formalization and the participants split into groups to decide some of the modalities of the formalized body.

Suggestions of names were made at the meeting and upon further deliberation on these, the Task Force members charged with selecting the final name of the body settled on KECOFATUMA.