Districts fail to account for GAVI funds: Minister Aceng

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Many of the districts in Uganda are not accounting for the money dispensed to them for activities related to COVID-19 vaccination and health systems strengthening.

Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, notes that they have been experiencing the problem of non-accounting officials since 2019, and will now have to refund unaccounted-for monies to the body of the global vaccine. She however declined to divulge details of the missing amounts and the specific non-accounting local governments.

Aceng was speaking at a public lecture held on Monday where Dr Seth Franklin Berkley, the GAVI Vaccines Alliance  CEO gave a keynote address on the ‘Power and Science of Vaccines.‘

According to Berkley, transparency is key on their agenda and they want to ensure that the vaccines reach the last person at the grassroots, a reason they are introducing innovations to track each and every vaccine that they send out.

Just like accounting, Berkley says that GAVI started a co-financing programme to ensure that countries prioritize and put money aside for the prevention of diseases as this is key for their development. This round he says, Uganda has already fully paid up its pledge for this financial year although he adds that the country’s contribution is still too small to match other countries that have graduated from benefiting from GAVI aid.

According to Aceng, Uganda paid USD 2 million for co-financing for the very expensive vaccines with governments and the rest of the traditional vaccines such as polio and BCG are procured by the government of Uganda.

Meanwhile, at the public lecture, Berkley was gowned having been earlier awarded Makerere University’s Honorary Doctorate of Science during the 71st graduation ceremony in May.

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