I have been off blogging for a while. Yes I have to admit it took quite some time to accept the electoral loss. But I have been lucky to be working in an field in which I have great passion - HIV/AIDS for Key Populations.
On the left of this blog one can see some interesting posts particularly relating to health and rights for Key Populations. In these pages we shall constantly explore how we can remove the structural barriers to access. What never really ceases to amaze me is how, a poor country like Kenya, which is 87% reliant on external funding for its HIV/AIDS interventions can at the same time still retain structural barriers - many of which can be eliminated through administrative means.
Of course many Kenyans are unaware that Kenya is ranked 6th (globally) as the country with the largest number of people living with HIV, and 3rd in Africa after South Africa and Nigeria. South African crisis is hardly surprising given the early denialism about the existence of AIDS. Nigeria is country of over 160 million people - hence cannot really compare with Kenya's 40 million.
Of course Kenya and Nigeria have one thing in common - we still retain structural barriers to access, and with regards to MSM & SW, we would rather bury our heads in the sand. Though this medium, though we should possibly unsettle the calm waters and bring the truth to the eyes of all.
The fact is, we can reverse the HIV crisis in this country, by doing two things:
On the left of this blog one can see some interesting posts particularly relating to health and rights for Key Populations. In these pages we shall constantly explore how we can remove the structural barriers to access. What never really ceases to amaze me is how, a poor country like Kenya, which is 87% reliant on external funding for its HIV/AIDS interventions can at the same time still retain structural barriers - many of which can be eliminated through administrative means.
Of course many Kenyans are unaware that Kenya is ranked 6th (globally) as the country with the largest number of people living with HIV, and 3rd in Africa after South Africa and Nigeria. South African crisis is hardly surprising given the early denialism about the existence of AIDS. Nigeria is country of over 160 million people - hence cannot really compare with Kenya's 40 million.
Of course Kenya and Nigeria have one thing in common - we still retain structural barriers to access, and with regards to MSM & SW, we would rather bury our heads in the sand. Though this medium, though we should possibly unsettle the calm waters and bring the truth to the eyes of all.
The fact is, we can reverse the HIV crisis in this country, by doing two things:
- Providing treatment to all who need it!
- Providing prevention to all sexually active Kenya, particularly those with elevated risk.
Anyone who thinks that we can achieve reduction in new cases of HIV infections while we still criminalize, stigmatize and exclude significant numbers of our people must live in some dreamland. Unfortunately, though, for many, this is not a dream, its a nightmare. And it will continue to be a nightmare for all of us, until that day when our current position is not guided by wisdom - but in fact the very opposite of wisdom.
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