On World AIDS Day, Kenya announces $232 million funding gap as new HIV cases increase
Kenya requires Ksh30 billion (approximately $232 million) to maintain essential HIV prevention, treatment, and long-term care services.
This was announced by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi during the 2025 World AIDS Day national commemoration at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi.
Mudavadi, who represented President William Ruto at the event, stated that the funding is necessary to support over 1.3 million people currently living with HIV in Kenya and to ensure the continued health and safety of future generations.
"With 1,326,336 people living with HIV in Kenya, our nation requires Ksh30 billion to secure vital commodities for prevention, care, and long-term management," he said.
He highlighted recent progress in the HIV response, noting that 87% of people living with HIV in Kenya are on antiretroviral treatment (ART). Additionally, Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) coverage has reached 90.1%, contributing to healthier mothers and HIV-free newborns.
World AIDS Day 2025 was marked by various national activities, including a symbolic half-marathon, public mobilisation campaigns, and the launch of the Kenya AIDS Integration Strategic Framework (KAISF) 2025–2030. The new policy framework aims to end AIDS as a public health threat in Kenya by 2030.
KAISF 2025–2030 introduces an integrated, people-centred approach to care, combining HIV services with other health areas such as tuberculosis (TB), sexually transmitted infections (STIs), mental health, reproductive health, and noncommunicable diseases. The framework also focuses on strengthening domestic health financing and improving equitable access across all counties.
During the event, concerns were raised over a 19% rise in new HIV infections in Kenya, from 16,752 cases in 2023 to 19,991 cases in 2024. The increase reverses recent gains and poses new challenges to the national HIV response.
The most significant increase occurred among adolescents aged 10 to 19, who recorded a 34% rise in new infections. Mudavadi described this trend as alarming and urged urgent national action.
"The resurgence needs to be checked before it finishes our young generation," he warned.
Dr Douglas O. Bosire, Acting CEO of the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC), attributed the rise to the broader Triple Threat of HIV infections, teenage pregnancies, and sexual and gender-based violence. These issues continue to disproportionately affect adolescents and young women.
As of 2024, Kenya, with 1.3 million HIV-positive people, ranked sixth in Africa with the highest number of people living with HIV, behind South Africa (7.8 million), Mozambique (2.5 million), Nigeria (2 million), Uganda (1.5 million), and Zambia (1.4 million).
While South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV on the continent, Eswatini holds the highest HIV prevalence rate in Africa and the world, with nearly 26% of its population living with the virus.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
