National Treasury has received Sh2 billion from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to help deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

National Treasury CS, Ukur Yattani, said the funds handed over to the government will complement the emergency fund kitty launched by the President Uhuru Kenyatta to minimise the impact of coronavirus.

According to Yattani, the cash will go towards alleviating the impact of coronavirus to the most vulnerable members of society.

The move follows the directive issued by President Kenyatta on Monday urging the National Treasury to utilise the funds recovered from corruption proceeds to support the most vulnerable members of our society, especially the needy in our urban areas.

“The cash amounting to Sh2 billion will act as a buffer in assisting the Government to cushion the most vulnerable group staying in urban centres,” Yattani said.

Yattani said the National Treasury will align the yet to be presented to Supplementary II budget to incorporate the economic stimulus package the President announced a week ago.

He urged other institutions with any idle funds to hand it over to enable the government to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Yatani urged other institutions to follow suit and channel some funds to the Covid-19 emergency kitty.

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji, said the prosecution fund established last year had so far netted Sh2.9 billion, from which the Sh2 billion presented to Treasury had been retrieved to aid in the fight against the novel coronavirus.

“We have various institutions dealing with corruption. A lot more money is out there, but because cases are not complete, we can’t use it. We have to wait for the cases to be heard and determined,” Haji said.

EACC chief executive officer Twalib Abdallah Mbarak, explained that the money was a product of plea bargaining adding that some part of the cases are still ongoing, EACC can’t use the money because of pending appeals.

Mbarak said the graft war is still ongoing, further expressing confidence that it will bear fruits and more public resources illegally held in terms of land and property will be recovered and reverted to the government.

Yattani revealed that so far pledges amounting to Sh7 billion has been received by the National Treasury from the Sports fund as well as other individuals, organisations and State agencies.

“We are revising the budget and we won’t spare any item. We are suspending some projects to address the current situation and recovery of the income. We are cutting on some expenditure that we can push to the next financial year,” he said.