New HIV infections in Kenya occur mainly in persons below the age of 34 years, President William Ruto told a UNAIDS summit in New York on Tuesday.
He was however quick to note that Kenya is now close to achieving epidemic control, having met the 95-95-95 global targets saying 95 per cent of people know their HIV status.
The President added that 100 per cent of those diagnosed are receiving treatment, and 97 per cent of those on treatment have achieved viral suppression.
He noted that despite a 65 per cent reduction in AIDS-related deaths since 2013, the incidence rate remained at 0.39 per 1,000 people in 2023.
“The epidemic continues to disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, including women, girls, adolescents, and key populations, exacerbated by healthcare inequities, stigma, and discrimination,” he stated.
The Head of State the situation highlights the urgency of scaling up multilateral interventions to address the vulnerabilities faced by the groups.
Ruto named the most vulnerable as women, girls and adolescents.
“We are at a critical juncture where traditional strategies are insufficient to meet our goal of ending AIDS by 2030. While past approaches were rooted in healthcare, they often overlooked broader drivers of infection, such as social and economic disparities, poverty, illiteracy, and environmental factors,” he added.
Ruto noted that Kenya relies on bilateral and multilateral aid to fund its annual HIV budget, which stands at Sh25.4 billion.
“To this end, Kenya is implementing a Financing Transition Roadmap that focuses on governance, stewardship, domestic resource mobilisation, program efficiency, and sector-wide integration. This roadmap aims to align HIV strategies with national healthcare and economic plans while enhancing accountability,” he added.