Kenya
New Kenyan government starts receiving foreign aid

afrol News, 15 January - As the new Kenyan government is establishing itself in its Nairobi offices, international aid and financing is eager to find its way back to the country. President Mwai Kibaki's election promises has already made an IMF team arriving Kenya to holds talks on resuming aid, and the UN child agency UNICEF promise to provide US$ 2.5 million for primary education.

Senior officials from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today held talks with Kenya's new Finance Minister David Mwirariathe and other government members about resuming aid to the country. IMF and World Bank financing was suspended in January 2001 due to growing concerns about corruption. President Kibaki has made the fight against corruption one of his primary goals, thus triggering the possible comeback of IMF support.

Mohammed Lugh, Spokesman of the Kenyan Finance Ministry, confirmed that the talks with the IMF were to "focus on the pending Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Bills and resumption of donor aid withheld since 2001." Minister Mwirariathe was to brief the IMF officials on the inheritance from the Moi administration and the new plans to fight corruption. The IMF and the World Bank will demand the implementation of anti-corruption legislation before aid is resumed.

Resumed cooperation with the IMF and World Bank also signifies the increased support from other international finance institutions. Regional banks, national development agencies and creditor nations mostly base their cooperation on the assessments of the IMF and on the World Bank's financing of a programme to fight poverty.

Another agency did not wait that long before it announced its support to President Kibaki's reform projects. UNICEF today announced it would contribute US$ 2.5 million toward free primary education in Kenya "to urgently support the Kenyan government's pledge to provide free and compulsory primary education." 

On the heels of the inauguration of the new Kenyan government and its announcement it would immediately abolish fees at all government schools, some 1.5 million previously out-of-school children turned up to attend classes. "The new government's education initiative is a milestone and we are heartened at the speed with which the government has moved to fulfil its election promise," UNICEF spokesman Nicholas Alipui said today.

The UNICEF funds - for use over the next three months - were to benefit 450,000 girls and boys from grade 1 to 3 with learning and teaching materials in eight districts and Nairobi. Specifically, UNICEF was to provide education kits, recreational kits, support the training of five thousand teachers, and assist in the repair and rehabilitation of primary school classrooms and their water and sanitation facilities, the UN agency stated. 

The abolishment of fees at government schools, a reform estimated to cost US$ 65 million, was implemented by President Kibaki on 6 January, only one week after he took office. While fees were eliminated, government schools however had not been prepared to receive the large extra numbers of pupils and were lacking materials, teachers and classrooms. The government however has promised that all children that want to enrol would be able to do so, this year or next year.

The price of the reform, according to Mr Kibaki, would be easy to overcome, given the new government's expected growth in revenues through fighting corruption. In addition to the direct revenues from curbing corruption, this exercise also may reopen IMF and World Bank finance channels for the government's poverty reduction programme, which emphasises on education.

Sources: Based on UNICEF, IMF, Kenyan govt, press reports and afrol archives

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