Triumph over Aids is still an illusion

By Pamela Sittoni

As we mark World Aids Day tomorrow, Kenya is among those countries that are upbeat about their modest success in reducing the HIV infection prevalence rate.

Figures released last week by the UNAids show that Kenya 's prevalence rate reduced from 14 per cent in 2000 to seven per cent in 2003.

Treatment for those infected has also been scaled up with up to 24,000 people currently taking anti-retroviral drugs.

No doubt, this success comes from the billions of shillings invested in anti-Aids campaigns by the Government, donors and non-governmental organisations.

But we must do more.

The Anti-Aids campaign in Kenya has fallen victim to international politics around Aids that has seen funding for several projects frozen.

Take condom provision for example. What happened to the good old days when condoms were available — for free — in toilets in bars, hotels, hospitals and even offices? The most sexually active section of the population is the youth. They are also the most affected by unemployment and therefore do not have money to buy such contraceptives.

In the villages, farm labourers earn Sh50 a day. The cheapest condom costs Sh10. Is a man expected to spend a fifth of his earnings on a plastic sheath? The Government must seek funds to continue giving Kenyans condoms.

Ironically, the National Aids Control Council of Kenya, the only statutory body authorised to lobby for Aids funds, is itself broke.

Secondly, the whole world has realised that Aids affects males and females in very different ways. The ABC campaign of abstaining, being faithful or using a condom makes perfect sense for men. But, as the Aids epidemic update report released by UNAids points out, in some places, the main risk factor for a woman is the fact that she is faithful to a husband with previous or current other sex partners.

The existing inequalities in many societies mean that women and girls cannot negotiate for safe sex and it is up to the man to decide whether or not to use a condom. The female condom, its discomfort and cumbersome nature aside, is out of reach for most women.

The upsurge in sexual violence against women and children also predisposes them to HIV infection. Women and girls who get raped can be saved from the added trauma of Aids if they receive antiretroviral drugs on time.