US embassy cable - 05NAIROBI3620

UNCLAS NAIROBI 003620 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/E, AF/EPS, AF/RSA 
STATE PAS USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PGOV, PREL, PHUM, SO, KE 
SUBJECT: SOMALIA -- SPECIAL SELF-HELP AND DEMOCRACY, HUMAN 
RIGHTS FUNDS: SUSPENSION OF PROGRAMS 
 
1. The Regional Financial Management Center (USAID/Nairobi) 
has received budget allowance cables for $58,000 to fund the 
Somalia Self-Help (SSH) Program, and $30,000 to fund the 
Democracy and Human Rights Fund (DHRF) Program, for FY 2005. 
 
2. Mission has over the past several years been unable to 
satisfactorily implement these programs for several reasons, 
including the following: limited or no access to Somalia, 
due to the high level of threat from terrorist 
organizations, to allow for proposal solicitation and 
assessment, recipient and project monitoring, and end-of- 
project evaluation and financial accounting purposes; lack 
of banking or funds transfer systems for financial 
implementation; and insufficient staff resources dedicated 
to Somalia at Embassy Nairobi.  This combination of 
challenging factors has resulted in inadequate 
accountability. 
 
3. At the current time, official accounting records are 
reflecting $78,092.31 in unaccounted-for funds relating to 
advances given to recipients during the past three fiscal 
years.  The lack of accountability does not meet US 
Government minimum standards, and the challenges cited 
above, unlikely to be mitigated in the foreseeable future, 
will mean that these minimum standards will not be met with 
any future allocations of funds. 
 
4. We hereby officially request that funds for the current 
year, totaling $88,000, be de-allowed back to the Bureau to 
be made available for other SSH and DHRF programs.  In 
addition, until the environment in Somalia changes and 
Mission's ability for program implementation, monitoring and 
evaluation improves, we are suspending the Somalia SSH and 
DHRF programs. 
 
BELLAMY