Homa Bay seeks funding to implement Aids control strategy

Homa Bay Governor Cyprian Awiti, who heads the county with the largest burden of HIV in the country, has started mobilising for funds to implement his multi-sectoral Aids strategic plan.

Homa Bay drew its first Aids strategic plan last year after a report by National Aids Control Council (NACC), titled Kenya HIV County Profiles 2016, showed that HIV prevalence in the county, at 26.0 per cent, was nearly 4.5 times higher than the national prevalence.

During a meeting on Tuesday last week attended by donor organisations fighting the disease in the country and officials of NACC, Mr Awiti pleaded for a joint effort to fight the scourge. He also pledged non-political support for any goodwill extended to the county in the fight against the disease.

“We have suffered enough in silence,” he said. “I pledge my commitment in supporting whoever comes forward to help the county implement this strategic plan.”

NACC representative at the meeting, Mr Edwin Lwanya, said there was need for health stakeholders fighting the disease in the county to adopt mechanisms of coordination and reporting of progress.

Homa Bay’s intervention plans include intensifying HIV prevention, protecting human rights, enhancing access to medical services, and strengthening the integration of community and health systems.

County health executive, Dr Lawrence Koteng’, announced plans to push for improvement of the legal and policy environment for protection of the infected, key populations, and other priority groups, including women and adolescents.

Dr Koteng’ attributed the county’s high HIV prevalence to several factors, among them cultural practices, “including wife inheritance and sexual- and gender-based violence”.