NACC Seeks a Policy to Support High Risky Groups

By Isaiah Esipisu

Prof Alloys Orago, Director NACC in Kenya

Washington DC: The Kenya’s National Aids Control Council (NACC) may soon have programs targeting concentrated groups such as Commercial Sex Workers, Men who have Sex with Men and Injecting drug users, if the current organisation’s strategic plan is approved for implementation by policy makers.

Until Saturday this week, key health research scientists, officials from the NACC and the Parliamentary Health Committee members are dialoguing at the ongoing International Aids Conference in Washington DC with an aim of developing a policy that will deal with such criminalized groups.

 

This comes after both the Kenya Aids Indicator Survey (KAIS) and the Kenya Modes of Transmission Study indicated that such concentrated groups had high prevalence of HIV, and recorded a high number of new infections.

 

“This has forced us to change our strategic approach because it is clear that new infections are occurring among such concentrated groups, which still have a relationship with the general population,” said Dr Sobbie Mulindi, the Deputy Director NACC at the ongoing International Aids Conference in Washington DC.

On a national scale, the KAIS indicates that men and women who engage in casual sex contributed 20 per cent of new infections, while sex workers and their clients contributed 14 percent. Men who have sex with men (gay population) and prison populations contributed 15 per cent of new infections, and injecting drug use accounts for 3.8 per cent.

“This means that we have two epidemics to deal with. The first one affects the general population, while the second epidemic affects such concentrated groups,” said NACC’s deputy chief.

He said that that if the government ignores such groups, then all the efforts already made may be reversed because the epidemic will undoubtedly spread to the general population.

According to a study by the Kenya Medical Research Institute indicated that 60 percent of MSM workers in Mombasa were found to have female partners. It is also evident that most of MSM in Kenya will always get in a relationship with a female partner to conceal their identity.

“We are engaging religious leaders because it is a very sensitive issue, not acceptable in the society, and all the groups are criminalized in a sense that their activities are against the low. This therefore requires policy formulation and proper legislation to be put in place to support programming, a reason why we had to come to Washington DC with the concerned legislators,” said Dr Mulindi.

So far, he said that NACC has received financial support from the Global Fund and Pepfar to support the initiative.