Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the health sector are raising concerns over the shortage of condoms in the country.
The organizations say Kenya risks rolling back the gains made in HIV/AIDS response in the country if the issue of condom shortage in the country is not addressed.
The CSOs have cautioned of a possibility of a new wave of infections citing a budgetary gap in the purchase of condoms.
They say the government was procuring 150 million pieces against a forecasted demand of 262 million for the July 2022 to June 2023 financial year.
According to the CSOs there has been a rapid increase in HIV infections among adolescents and young people and the disruption of the HIV prevention, care and treatment services by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Biting shortage
Dr Samuel Kinyanjui, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Kenya Country Director says there is a gap of about 112 million condoms.
“We are urging the government to come up with a mechanism of stemming the acute shortage of condoms that has now become routine.
“We are calling on the government to come up with modalities of bringing down the prevailing high taxes against those willing to step in and help the country restock,” said Dr. Kinyanjui.
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Further,Dr. Kinyanjui says condoms must be viewed as an investment and not a cost.
“Statistically, with enough condoms, the country will be saved from treating more than 800,000 newly infected persons in the next ten years and up to 5.3 million unplanned pregnancies, 60% of which are teenage, will be averted,” he said,
