People living with HIV and AIDS can now breathe a sigh of relief after National Aids Control Council CEO NACC Ruth Masha announced that the impasse that led to the shortage of ARVs has been resolved.

This follows a series of extensive meetings NACC held with US representatives to resolve the outstanding issues that saw the badly needed drugs stuck at the port.

A consignment of ARVs that arrived in January was held at the Mombasa port due to an ugly tax row with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).

The ARVs arrived in the country on January 18 through Chemonics, a private company, prompting KRA to demand a Sh90 million tax but it later waived Sh45 million.

Such inter-governmental donations are required to go through state corporations such as Kenya Medical Supplies Authority to be exempted from tax.

Read More

  1. Court blocks KRA's controversial mobile phone tracking plan in privacy clash
  2. Lobby group challenges KRA's new IMEI disclosure policy for incoming phones
  3. KRA grants KenGen a Sh1.43 billion tax waiver after decade-long dispute

The ARVs were cleared and are now ready for distribution after a framework and implementation letter to facilitate tax and fee waivers, and distribution of age USAID purchased commodities was signed.

The NACC CEO appreciated the partnership between the US and Kenyan governments and added that the two will work together to address hurdles on the drugs’ supply chain.

She said she was optimistic that dispensation of multiple months' supply of the commodities will resume.