MPs seeking clarification on Covid-19 funds

MEMBERS of Parliament are seeking clarification from the Department of Implementation and Rural Development on the application of the Covid-19 funds, secretary Aihi Vaki says.
He told The National that the leaders had approached his department to get clarification on the funds because there was confusion between the services improvement programme (SIP) funding and the Covid-19 funding. “We don’t want to demarcate these funds – the Covid-19 and the SIP funding,” Vaki said.
“Our leaders have been confused in terms of applying these funds.
“They received the funds but they did not know where to apply it because they did not have any guidelines for the Covid-19 funding so they sought advice from this department.”
Vaki said the SIP funds catered for the health sector and the Covid-19 funds could be applied under that.
He said the Health Department would have to monitor how those funds were applied.
“A lot of leaders have sought my advice, the sectors under the SIP programme caters for everything so the health is there,” Vaki said.
“However, the acquittals should be kept separated because they can be donor funding or Government funding.
The department is responsible to take charge in monitoring those funding, and so, it cannot be my responsibility to monitor the Covid-19 funding because I am mandated for the SIP programme only.”