UN Foundation - Wire News

Monday, March 06, 2000

HIV/AIDS II: Kenya Doing Too Little Too Late, Officials Complain

Health care activists, politicians and local community leaders in Kenya say the government woke up much too late to the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Unlike countries such as neighboring Uganda and Senegal, where distribution of condoms, counseling and other education efforts have curbed the spread of the disease, Kenya's "conspiracy of silence" has allowed the disease to spread, said Chrispin Wilson, the UNICEF representative in Kenya.

Of Kenya's 32 million people, about 1.9 million are infected with HIV. Nearly 500 die each day of AIDS, and up to 80% of the victims are between 15 and 49 years old, leaving some 500,000 AIDS orphans. With an estimated 8 million people in Kenya threatened with HIV infection by 2002, the government last November broke nearly a decade of silence over the seriousness of the disease, declaring it a national disaster.

But Eric Gor Sungu, a member of parliament in Kisumu, laments the government's slow response. "It's like shutting the stable door when the horse has already bolted, because right now, whatever we do, we cannot stop it," he said. "It's more than a disaster. It's a catastrophe."

Although the Kenyan Ministry of Health estimates that 90% of the population is aware of HIV/AIDS, detailed knowledge is limited. In some villages, where inheriting wives and polygamy are acceptable practices, an estimated seven of 10 deaths are related to AIDS.

Religious Opposition To Condoms A Roadblock To Prevention

Stigma, shame and fear of rejection related to HIV infection have stymied awareness efforts. One roadblock in the effort to promote safe sex is opposition from Catholic and Muslim religious leaders to the use of condoms.

"The moment we start using condoms or any other gadgets, we are losing our dignity," explained Father Alfred Atemo Ogada, a parish priest in Kisumu who preaches abstinence.

Community leaders like Sungu, however, say that religious leaders "have to choose between more Catholics who are alive and kicking, and more dead Catholics."

Wilson added: "If we want to see any dent in this epidemic, we must get to the grass roots. ... If this problem is not tackled immediately, it's going to be the greatest disaster we have ever seen" (Ann Simmons, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar).