Thread by @MzalendoWatch

Millions of Kenyans are at a risk of dying from malaria, HIV and TB after the @GlobalFund stopped Kenya from utilising a Sh12.4 billion kitty.

The fund took the decision after a war erupted between @Amref_Kenya and the @KenyaRedCross society over the management of the donor kitty.

@Amref_Worldwide beat @WorldVision, @PSKenya_, @KenyaRedCross and Liverpool VCT Health and was appointed the manager of the fund but @KenyaRedCross appealed the decision.

The fund on September 7 wrote to the Kenya judging team, which handled the process, cancelling the awards.

The judging team is an independent team consisting of some 23 member organizations pooled from the @UN bilateral partners and civil society, called the Kenya Coordinating Mechanism.

The members include the @WHO, @UNDP, United the Nations Population Fund as well as @USAID.

The fund said it noted there were flaws in the "financial evaluation part of the procurement process" which should be resolved to ensure "Kenya's eligibility for the funding request".

The @KenyaRedCross had won the HIV tender since 2012, grants that were always renewed every three years, while @Amref_Kenya always had the TB tender. Both organizations had scored between A1, the donors' ranking which is equivalent to scoring between 89 and 100 per cent.

Dr. Asha Mohammed of @KenyaRedCross said it had come as a surprise that the organization had not performed well enough.

Dr. Meshack Ndirangu, @Amref_Kenya Director, said the organization had won the award through a public procurement process.

As long as the stalemate stands, the utilisation of the money has been put on hold and this puts the lives of millions on the line.

Some 1.5 million HIV patients require antiretroviral medication and there is no diagnosis and treatment of TB, Kenya's fifth killer and malaria kills 21,000 people each year, majority of whom are children under five.

The @GlobalFund money supports other services such as nutrition and cash transfers for the most vulnerable.