The fight against HIV in the country suffered a major blow after government failed to make an allocation for ARVs in the 2024-25 budget.
Treasury failed to factor Sh14.1 billion Ministry of Health had requested to procure the life-sustaining drugs in the face of a shrinking donor funding.
The amount included procurement of family planning and vaccines programmes.
The move puts to risk lives of millions of Kenyans depending on the drugs.
Medical Services Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai while appearing before the Parliament, appealed for allocation to avert a crisis.
Kenya has an estimated 1.4 million people living with HIV. The cost of maintaining one patient is about Sh20,000.
“There has been perpetual rationalisation of these funds over the years during supplementary estimates affecting achievement of the set targets,” Kimtai said.
The PS appeared before the National Assembly’s Health Committee chaired by Endebes MP Robert Pukose.
Kimtai told the Pukose team of a declining donor funding hence the need for the government to increase its funding.
“There has been a steady reduction in donor funding for these programmes. This calls for the need to increase GoK counterpart funding to offset the deficit for these medical commodities critically needed,” he said.
Kimtai urged lawmakers to shield the budget for crucial medical commodities from future budget cuts.
“The state department further requests that these funds be ring-fenced in financial year 2024-25 and the medium term and further be exempted from any budgetary cuts in supplementary estimates,” he said.
With the current underfunding, it therefore means overreliance on foreign funding to ensure seamless provision of the vital commodities.
As at last year, foreign donors were financing at least 66 per cent of the HIV budget in Kenya, mostly buying ARVs and related supplies.
The country’s domestic contribution has been rising since 2018 and currently stands at about 34 per cent.
This is according to the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council, which develops HIV policy in Kenya.
Kenya’s main donor is the US, President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, is struggling to secure a five-year, $6.8 billion funding from the US Congress.
In 2020-21, public funds accounted for about 39 per cent of Kenya’s HIV-related expenditure.
Pepfar contributed 47.1 per cent, followed by Global Fund at 9.5 per cent and other donors at 5.1 per cent.
Local non-governmental sources contributed 0.07 per cent.