An epidemic wind is sweeping across Nairobi, one that stakeholders are not willing to discuss openly, perhaps hiding their heads in the sand like the proverbial ostriches. Talking about HIV/AIDs among Kenyan youth. It seems the fear of HIV as a killer disease is slowly leaving the minds of many young Kenyans.
In Kenya, it’s estimated that 133,455 adolescents (aged 10-19) are living with HIV. There are also 18,004 new HIV infections and 2,797 AIDS-related deaths among this age group annually. These are estimated figures from the samples of those who take HIV/AIDs tests.
Additionally, young people aged 15-24 contribute 13 percent of the total number of HIV infections, with an estimated 17,667 new HIV infections occurring in this age group annually. This means that at least 1,470 young people in Kenya are getting HIV/AIDs monthly and at least 49 daily.
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Statistics from the Kenya National Systemic Diseases Control Council indicate that in 2023, Kenya had an estimated 16,752 new HIV
infections, with children accounting for 3,743 cases and 13,009 new infections among adults.
Women aged 15 and above had 8,937 new infections, while men had 4,072. Notably, 57% of all new infections are domiciled among adolescents and young people aged 15-34 years.
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During the same period, 51% of new infections occurred in nine counties, with Nairobi, Kisumu, and Nakuru bearing the highest burden. Young women (15-24 years) represented 31% of new adult cases compared to 8% among young men in the same age group.
In Nairobi, the number of those living with HIV might be higher than what the Ministry of Health keeps on reporting. Young kids, as young as 15 years, especially girls, are becoming HIV positive, meaning many boys of the same age or older are walking around infected without knowing.
A nurse from Mbagathi told the Business Watch that at least 6 out of the 10 teenage mothers (pregnant) who visit the facility for normal checkups are found to be HIV positive. “It is scary because the majority of them are finding out for the first time while at the facility.”
The nurse says that the major problem is to consider the young girls to turn up with their partners. “Mostly when we tell them to bring their partners, they never come back. Meaning either they do not want their partners to know or are afraid of the outcome.”
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