Local HIV/AIDS info

Nearly half of all new HIV infections are transmitted during heterosexual sex whilst in a relationship and 20 percent during casual heterosexual sex (UNGASS, 2010) However there is also high HIV prevalence amongst a number of key affected groups, including sex workers, injecting drug users (IDUs), men who have sex with men (MSM), truck drivers and cross-border mobile populations.

Adult HIV prevalence is greater in urban areas (8.4 percent) than rural areas (6.7 percent) of Kenya. However, as around 75 percent of people in Kenya live in rural areas, the total number of people living with HIV is higher in rural settings (1 million adults) than urban settings (0.4 million adults) (UNGASS, 2010)

Women are disproportionally affected by HIV. In 2008/09 HIV prevalence among women was twice as high as that for men, at 8 percent and 4.3 percent respectively. This disparity is even greater in young women aged 15-24 who are four times more likely to become infected with HIV than men of the same age. Kenyan women experience high rates of violent sexual contact, which is thought to contribute to the higher prevalence of HIV. In a 2003 nationwide survey, almost half of women reported having experienced violence and one in four women aged between 12 and 24 had lost their virginity by force.