The Ministry of Health has clarified reports suggesting that HIV infections are on the rise in Nairobi, saying the figures had been misunderstood and the city is actually recording progress.
The clarifications came on Monday night after Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja questioned data indicating a spike in the county’s HIV prevalence. The figures had caused confusion both online and among health stakeholders.
In an interview with Citizen TV, Stephen Ndolo, who is the Director at the National Syndemic Disease Control Council, said that there has been a misinterpretation of the numbers.
“Nairobi’s HIV prevalence has not gone up it has gone down,” he said. “It was 4.2 per cent last year and it now stands at 3.7 per cent.”
Ndolo noted that while the prevalence rate of HIV may be falling, because Nairobi has a much larger population compared to other counties, the number of PLWHA may look high in absolute terms.
“When you look at the absolute numbers because of the high denominator, you might think Nairobi has more infections,” he said. “But in reality, the prevalence is decreasing.”
However, Ndolo warned that the country cannot afford to relax. Nationally, Kenya recorded a worrying rise in new infections between 2023 and 2024.
“That should not take away the fact that there is an unacceptably high number of new infections in the country,” he noted.
Data released earlier by NSDCC had placed Nairobi, Migori, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Busia, Siaya, Kakamega, Nakuru, Mombasa, and Bungoma as accounting for 60 per cent of the new infections in 2024 statistics that have compounded the confusion over the numbers for the capital.
The latest report also indicates that the national HIV prevalence remains at 3 percent, with women still bearing a higher burden of infection at 4 percent compared to men, who have a prevalence of 2 percent. Deaths due to HIV also increased to 21,007 in 2024 from 18,473 the previous year.
The Ministry has cautioned Kenyans to rely on verified data, adding that it will continue working with counties to strengthen prevention, testing, and treatment programmes to curb new infections.
