Some 36,260 public servants are living with HIV/AIDS across the country, Public Service and Human Capital PS Amos Gathecha has said.
Gathecha said this translates to 3.7 per cent of Kenya’s total public service workforce, adding that there is a strong relationship between HIV/AIDS and mental health challenges.
“Mental illnesses increase the risk of HIV infection; similarly, people living with HIV have an increased risk of mental illnesses,” Gathecha said.
The PS spoke when he officiated the validation workshop for the Draft Public Service Workplace Policy on HIV/AIDS and related diseases by heads of department in Machakos County on Tuesday.
He said the implication was that HIV/AIDS has been a major drawback to the workforce service; however, he lauded the country’s leadership for putting in place policy frameworks to address issues affecting Kenyans’ health.
“These frameworks include the Constitution of Kenya 2010 that has made provisions for health as a right for all, Kenya Vision 2030, and other legislation that recognises the right to the highest attainable standard of health as a key foundation for sustainable development of our country,” Gathecha said.
He said the policy will guide measures to mitigate the effects of loss of working hours due to HIV and related chronic health conditions at the workplace and improve employee’s productivity as well as their ability to seek healthcare services without fear of discrimination.
“Ultimately, the reviewed policy will promote a safe and healthy work environment in the public service that guarantees dignity and fair labor practices for all public servants,” Gathecha said.
The PS said stigma and discrimination remain a hurdle in mitigating against workplace HIV and AIDS as well as mental health.
Gathecha said there was an increase in mental health challenges in the public service that can be attributed to, among other factors, economic, social, and pre-existing medical challenges such as HIV and non-communicable diseases.
He said there was an increase in demand for counseling services among public servants.
“In view of this, my ministry is implementing interventions aimed at addressing mental health challenges,” Gathecha said.
“This has therefore warranted reviewing of this policy to serve as a guide on appropriate integrated approaches to address HIV and AIDS towards the achievement of the national development goals,” he said.
The PS said the interventions included reviewing the Public Service Counselling and Wellness Policy, 2024, increasing the number of counselors in the service to enhance access to quality counseling, and training a total of 1, 010 mental health champions to improve early detection and referral of officers in need of counseling support.
The PS said they were establishing counseling and wellness units in six Huduma centres countrywide and as well providing tele-counselling services through the Huduma Kenya Counselling helpline on telephone number 1919.
Gathecha said the ministry was implementing measures towards strengthening responses against HIV/AIDS and its related diseases.
“We have developed the Public Service workplace policy on HIV/AIDS and reviewed it in 2017 and currently under review, provided counseling and wellness services, ensured adherence to the Huduma Resource Manual, 2016 on issues related to HIV/AIDS,” Gathecha said.
“We have the Global Fund that has been supportive; this has been funding from the donor support. The funding from the USA is the vehicle that has been used over time to support those in Kenya."
National Syndemic Diseases Control Council Country Support Division head Carol Kinoti said Kenya needs Sh25 billion to successfully fight HIV/AIDS.
Kinoti said the interventions that the funds are needed for include HIV/AIDS counseling and testing, treatment, drugs, sensitisation, condom procurement, care, and support.
She, however, expressed fears that beneficiaries of such services, courtesy of donor funds, would be affected if the US government withdraws its membership from the World Health Organization.
“Our largest donor has always been from the US government. We aren’t sure of the support with the new US government, whether we will have the same support as before or not,” Kinoti said.
“As a government, we need to ensure that there is treatment and drugs for those with such ailments,” Kinoti said.
Kinoti said Kenya was ranked seventh globally among those with the highest HIV/AIDS infections.
She said 11.4 million out of Kenya’s total population of 50 million are infected by HIV/AIDS. This, she said, were statistics generated from the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council’s report 2023.
“11, 378, 457 million Kenyans live with HIV as at 2023. 71, 433 are children of between 0 and 14 years,” Kinoti said.
Kinoti disclosed that 4.5 pe rcent of those living with HIV are women. The countries ahead of Kenya as matters of HIV/AIDS infections among its citizens, according to Kinoti, include South Africa, India, Mozambique, Tanzania, Nigeria, and Zambia in that order.
