IGAD AND EU HAND OVER COVID-19 MEDICAL SUPPLIES TO KENYA

IGAD and The EU Hand Over COVID-19 Medical Supplies To the Government of Kenya

By Vera Shawiza

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), in collaboration

with the Delegation of the European Union to Kenya and the United

Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) handed over medical

supplies to the Government of Kenya at the Kenya Medical Training

College (KMTC), Karen Campus.

Dr. Fatuma Ibrahim Adan representing the Executive Secretary (ES) for

IGAD (Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu), the Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS)

for Health of Kenya, Hon Dr. Rashid Aman, H.E Simon Mordue, the Head of

the European Union Delegation to Kenya, the Ambassador of Germany to

Kenya Annett Günther, the country representative for UNOPS, Rainer

Frauenfeld and other delegates participated in the brief handover

ceremony for medical supplies to Government of Kenya.

The supplies are part of the EU-IGAD COVID-19 Response project in the

IGAD region and consists of assortment of Personal Protective Equipment

(PPE), Laboratory test kits for COVID-19 (25,056 tests), two standard

ambulance, one advanced ambulance and a mobile laboratory worth 1.9

million Euros. They will be put in use at cross-border areas. Two

ambulances and the mobile laboratory are expected in the country at a

later date and will be handed over to the respective priority cross

border site in the country. Similar events are planned at all the IGAD

member countries.

In a short intervention in front of media practitioners invited to the

event, Dr Fatuma representing IGAD, expressed her satisfaction ‘to

witness that the supplies meant to fight COVID-19 have reached the

people they were intend to reach: cross border communities here in

Kenya, the people in need of these supplies.

The EU has responded to us immediately after the IGAD Summit on COVID-

19. We are aspiring to be very close to the communities. We thank the

government of Kenya, our partners, the European Union, UNOPS, Germany

Embassy, World Food Program (WFP), GIZ, International organization for

Migration (IOM), Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA) and all other partners

working with IGAD. IGAD is working very closely with each and every

one of you in different areas’, Dr. Fatuma said, on behalf of the ES

IGAD, Dr. Workneh.

The European Union allocated a 60 million Euros package to help tackle

the health and socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, in

support of IGAD in its mandate to coordinate national responses to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the Horn of Africa. It is part of the Team Europe

Global Response package (EU and its member states) to support partner

countries’ intervention to the pandemic and its consequences.

The project focuses on vulnerable groups, including migrants, refugees,

internally displaced persons, and cross-border communities, including

more than euro 13 million worth of medical supplies and equipment.

Main activities include the provision of health responses, WASH

services, prevention of gender-based violence and risk communication.

The project also helps ensure borders and critical supply chains so

they are safe for trade. Through the component managed by GIZ, it also

promotes digital solutions to monitor the crisis. The project aims to

support more than 1 million people across the region.

To ensure its regional and multi-sectoral dimensions, UNOPS manages the

project with implementing partners – IGAD, International Organization

for Migration (IOM), TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) and the United

Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). GIZ manages the digitalisation

component.