Russia donated $1 million to Kenya to fight COVID-19 pandemic
The representative of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Kenya said that the relevant documents had been signed. It is emphasized that the funds will be provided to the Kenyan Ministry of Health through the RF-UNDP (UN Development Programme) Trust Fund to support the activities of a hospital, built in 1969 in the city of Kisumu by the Soviet Union.
The money will be used to enhance health systems and provide socio-economic support to women and youth impacted by the pandemic.
Mr. Dmitry Maksimychev, the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Kenya, said that the contribution would strengthen efforts of the government in addressing the effects of Covid-19 on the healthcare system and communities.
“This is a very welcome and critical contribution that will enhance efforts of the Government of Kenya to respond to the multiple impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. The project is very much in line with the UN’s own Socio-Economic Response Plan to Covid-19 in Kenya as well as the national and county level Covid-19 socio-economic recovery strategies that UNDP has supported over the last several months together with our government and development partners,” said the UNDP’s Resident Representative Walid Badawi.
“We thank the Government of Russia and UNDP for this support. It is directly aligned to the Government of Kenya priorities in the fight against the pandemic. It also comes in to support the government in areas where we have not put significant investments such as addressing the impact of the pandemic from a gender perspective and mainstreaming of gender as part of the response,'' said Ms. Susan Mochache, Principal Secretary for Health of Kenya.