REREC donates Sh2.3 million to Covid-19 fund

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i (third right) assured that the contribution will be prudently used.

The board of Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) has donated Sh2.3 million to the Covid-19 Emergency Fund.

Board chairman Dr Simon Gicharu and CEO Peter Mbugua donated the cash to the fund officials led by Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and Secretary Kennedy Kihara.

Gicharu said the money was from employee contributions and forfeited allowances.

"This was raised from our staff contributions and forfeited allowances. We are happy to be part of this course," said Dr Gicharu.

Matiang’i thanked the board and said the funds will be used prudently to help those affected by the pandemic.

Mbugua said the money was part of the corporation’s contribution to supplement the government’s efforts to combat the disease.

The move is in line with the campaign initiated by President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto, who announced they had voluntarily taken an 80 per cent pay cut.

All Cabinet secretaries and chief administrative secretaries took a 30 per cent pay cut while principal secretaries gave up 20 per cent.

Speakers of the two Houses of Parliament also announced they would take a 30 per cent pay cut for three months.

Other boards of various government parastatals have also contributed to the fund. They include Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and National Police Service Commission.

Gicharu announced that the board had decided to make its contribution to the National Covid-19 emergency kitty by forfeiting their monthly honorarium in addition to their sitting allowances until the pandemic is controlled.

"We are aware that in the course of implementing our mandate in Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy our staff have been coming into contact with the needy. By contributing in a small way towards the kitty is to ensure that fellow Kenyans do not go hungry or lack basic necessities," Mr Gicharu said.

He said the daily dusk-to-dawn curfew and a strong emphasis on people staying at home, among other measures put in place by the government to control the spread of the virus, have resulted in businesses closing down and sending their workers home, leaving most people with no source of income, especially those who rely on daily wages to feed their families.