Audit reveals misuse of HIV/AIDS funds

 A GENERAL compliance audit, conducted over the past three years into the use of go­vernment funding for HIV/AIDS programmes, has revealed substantial misuse of the funds.

It exposed cases of double-dipping, lack of acquittals and other corrupt practices.

National AIDS Council secretary Wep Kanawi said in a circular to more than 50 stakeholders the council had requested for the audit to account for the government’s funding in the implementation of national HIV strategy programmes and projects.

“We are detailing the more general findings of the audit and remedial action which have and will continue to be undertaken against defaulting stakehol­ders,” Kanawi said in the circular.

He said some stakeholders were charging abnormally high recurrent costs, some as high as 90% of the total budget while only 10% was devoted to programmes. 

“This is not adding value to the overall response. 

“So, as a general guide, we have been directed by the go­vernment’s planning and budget framers to ensure stakeholders frame their budget requests on the basis of 60% programme and 40% recurrent cost. 

“All future budget submissions will need to be framed on this basis,” Kanawi said.

He said a number of stakeholders were budgeting for the same programmes resulting in the same programmes being funded twice by different sources.

“Stakeholders who are caught double-dipping in this manner will have their funding arrangements annulled and lose their eligibility (status as an approved partner) to apply for further funding assistance,” he said.

Many stakeholders change the scope of their programmes/projects midway through their implementation schedule.

This in effect means that they make conscious decisions to implement programmes outside the NHS ambit or guidelines. 

“A small number of stakeholders have seen fit to re-scope their programmes after their budget had been approved. 

“In a couple of instances stakeholders changed the scope of programmes due to circumstances beyond their control. 

“This is understandable but if the re-scoping removes the program from the listed or cate­gorised NHS generic product/programme, this will be consi­dered as a violation of the process and stakeholders could forgo their funding arrangements and lose their eligibility status,” Kanawi said.