The national government has urged counties to integrate HIV prevention strategies within their health services to reduce rising infection rates.
The Principal Secretary of the State Department for Medical Services, Ouma Oluga, has expressed concern over the increasing number of new infections among adolescents and young adults.
“We have issues of prevention that we want counties to now start integrating into their healthcare services,” Oluga said.
He spoke when he officiated the opening of the Joint Annual Programme Review Workshop on the Syndemic Strategic Framework, convened by the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC) in Naivasha on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.
The PS highlighted that nearly 6,000 new HIV infections were recorded among individuals aged 15 to 24, describing the trend as deeply troubling.
Further, he emphasised that the Ministry of Health has established a coordinated prevention mechanism at the county level, involving surveillance officers and community health promoters.
“We are working to consolidate efforts and ensure our interventions are both sustainable and resilient going forward,” he noted.
He attributed the high infection rate among teens to gaps in both education and enforcement, underscoring the need for comprehensive strategies to protect vulnerable age groups.
He stated that recent shifts in the health sector’s funding landscape have required a reorganisation of financing for syndemic diseases such as HIV, TB, and malaria.
“This workshop provides an opportunity to assess county-level progress, but more importantly, to shape how we move forward in responding to syndemic diseases and implementing Universal Health Coverage,” Oluga added.
HIV prevalence
This comes months after Kenya achieved an 83 per cent reduction in new HIV infections, from 101,560 in 2013 to 16,752 in 2023.
Speaking during the launch of the World AIDS Day 2024 Half Marathon in Nairobi, former Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Deborah Barasa said that the number of people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy has nearly doubled to 1,336,681 in 2023.
“Although AIDS-related deaths have dropped by 65%, from 58,446 in 2013 to 20,480 in 2023, every life lost reminds us of the work still needed,” she said.
She said that achieving viral suppression remains crucial for those on antiretroviral therapy, and 97% of people living with HIV on treatment in Kenya have reached this milestone.
“Reducing mother-to-child transmission rates from 14% in 2013 to 7.3% in 2023 is another step forward, yet our target is to reach less than 5% by 2025.”
She highlighted that the challenges remain, particularly in addressing HIV/AIDS among children, adolescents, and young people.
