This archive report was first published on 1 November 2021.
Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) has set ambitious targets to eradicate HIV infections, stigma, and AIDS-related deaths in Nairobi by 2030.
According to NMS Health Services Director Ouma Oluga, the city has seen a significant decline in HIV prevalence rates over the past two decades, from 24.6 percent in 1995 to 5.2 percent at the end of 2020.
As of 2020, an estimated 167,446 residents in Nairobi were living with HIV, with 12,779 of them being children under 14 years old, according to the Kenya HIV Estimates Report, 2020.
However, Dr. Oluga noted that the city has made significant progress in reducing new infections, with only 4,446 new cases reported in 2020, and adolescents and young people contributing only 1,475 of all new infections.
The reduced numbers are in line with the county's commitment to achieving the 95-95-95 targets by 2022 and to end the HIV epidemic by 2030.
"Notably, in the last two decades Nairobi County has consistently recorded decreasing HIV prevalence rates from 24.6 percent in 1995, to 14.4 percent in 2001, to 8 percent in 2013, 6.1 percent in 2017 and down to 5.2 percent by the end of 2020," said Dr. Oluga.
The NMS has implemented various interventions to combat HIV, including community condom distribution and promotion, integrated sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS services, and mobilization of adolescents and young people through existing youth networks.
These efforts have led to reduced infections in the young population, and the county has been recognized for its achievements, including receiving the 'Circle of Excellence Award' from the Fast Track Cities Institute (FTCI) and UNAIDS.
