Differences of opinion cause delay of donated hunger funds remittance

Leaders of different Kenyan organizations in New England during one of the initial meetings at the Saint Stephen's church to plan the hunger funds drive.FILE PHOTO: Ajabu Media

 By AjabuAfrica.com, posted December 8, 2011. updated December 9, 1.54 pm

BOSTON, Mass._A meeting by Kenyan community organizations in the New England region partially agreed on how to present the funds they raised for the hungry but not when to remit the money to the starving Kenyans.

The money meant to assist those families facing starvation in Kenya is still lying in a U.S. bank while groups with different interests continue to argue and accuse each other for non-transparency and betrayal.

Kenyans in the New England area came together last October to raise more than $15,000. The function was organized by the New England Kenyan Association (NEKA) but invited other community organizations to join.

There is a unanimous agreement that a dummy check be presented to the U.S Ambassador, H.E. Elkanah Odembo during the 48th Jamhuri Day celebrations to be held this Sunday at the Lowell Auditorium.

However, Joshua Wambua, the director of the region’s Diaspora Advisory Council organized the same dummy check to be presented to the Prime Minister Raila Odinga in Kenya.

Presenting the donation is not the only problem. Fundraising committee treasurer Peter Mwaniki has no access to the account prompting questions of transparency and accountability.

 “My name has never been activated as a signatory,” said Mwaniki. “I have deposited the money but I can’t see the balances to keep up with account activities.”

A group of donors through NEKA accuse the fundraising organizers for breaking promises. To the dismay of many, the fundraising committee discarded the idea of making public the names of donors and the amount they contributed on the official fund raising website, dkenyans4hkenyans.org– things that were agreed prior to the fund-raising.

A suggestion by some religious leaders who wanted the money to be channeled through the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) was rejected. The leaders  had cited the NCCK’s knowledge and proximity to the starving populations of Kenya.

An idea to spend part of the donated funds towards Jamhuri Day celebration expenses was floated but unanimously rejected by the members as well.

NEKA members’ original idea was to disburse the funds as fast as possible and keep the humanitarian initiative free from political or religious inclinations just like the Kenyans for Kenya initiative that raised more than Ksh. 600,000 million.

The disputes are threatening the developing but still fragile unity of Kenyans in this region that have always come together to help the needy.  Some in the group suggested that the fundraising committee become a permanent organization to solve problems in the community. That idea was also rejected, drifting members further apart.

The disputes have reached a point where a section of the fundraising organizers want future meetings to be held in private. They have expressed unwillingness to invite the media in the future meetings in contrast to the open process majority in the community expect.

The money is supposed to be wired to the Kenyans for Kenya initiative account held at the Kenya Commercial Bank in Nairobi to be distributed by the Kenya Red Cross.

During the ill- fated meeting that took place on Wednesday November 23rd at Saint Stephen's church in Lowell, there was no timetable to release the money. And there was no meeting scheduled to decide as to when the money will be released.

Edited by Jeff Kanani, AjabuAfrica.com

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