The National Syndemic Disease Control Council (NSDCC) has cautioned that Kenya is in danger of not achieving the goal of an AIDS-free world by 2030 if it does not quickly put adolescents, youth, and mothers at the forefront of HIV prevention and treatment programmes.
NSDCC CEO Douglas Bosire, who was speaking in Nairobi ahead of this year’s World AIDS Day celebrations, pointed to new data as evidence that in 2024 the country had almost 20,000 new HIV infections and 21,000 AIDS-related deaths.
He argued that the numbers show that Kenya has not yet reached the point of epidemic control and therefore must speed up the implementation of targeted interventions.
On the same occasion, Dr. Andrew Mulwa, the National AIDS and STI Control Program (NASCOP) CEO, was highlighting the necessity of reinforcing integrated health systems, intensifying youth-focused prevention activities, and rapidly implementing the elimination of mother-to-child transmission initiative.
Furthermore, he introduced a plan to introduce Lenacapavir, a slow-release antiretroviral drug, from January 2026, to “facilitate treatment outcomes and offer more prevention choices to the at-risk groups.”
Besides these, the leaders appealed for a revived national resolve, enhanced awareness, and uninterrupted funding as the drivers of Kenya’s journey back to the realization of the 2030 target of ending AIDS as a public health threat.
