Health Ministry Clarifies Increase in HIV Prevalence in Nairobi
Following concerns and misunderstandings about the accuracy of claims claiming a rise in HIV prevalence in Nairobi, the Ministry of Health has issued a statement clarifying the situation.
Speaking on Citizen TV on Monday, Stephen Ndolo, Director of the National Syndemic Disease Control Council, stated that HIV prevalence in Nairobi had actually reduced.
This came after Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja requested confirmation on the authenticity of numbers indicating an increase in the country’s HIV prevalence.
According to Ndolo, Nairobi’s HIV prevalence dropped from 4.2% to 3.7% in the last year, demonstrating the government’s efforts to curb the spread of the deadly virus.
“What I meant is that the HIV prevalence in Nairobi has actually decreased. It was 4.2 per cent, now it is 3.7 per cent,” Ndolo clarified.
Dr. Stephen Ndolo: The number of HIV infections are showing a general trend of declining. If you look at where we were 5 years ago and where we are today in terms of new infections, they have declined from 41,000 to the current 19,000. Nairobi County with new infections of 3,045… pic.twitter.com/9sItcrdXiA
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) December 1, 2025
He went on to add, “It has gone down, but when you look at the absolute numbers because of the high denominator, you might think Nairobi has more infections.”
He did, however, caution that, despite a decrease in HIV infections in Nairobi, the country’s infection rate grew dramatically between 2023 and 2024.
“That should not take away the fact that there is an unacceptably high number of new infections in the country,” he reiterated.
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The clarification follows allegations that Nairobi County had the highest rate of new HIV infections, followed by Migori, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Busia, Siaya, Kakamega, Nakuru, Mombasa, and Bungoma.
According to the National Syndemic Disease Control Council’s initial report, the above counties accounted for 60% of new HIV infections in the country in 2024.
The agency noted that in 2024, HIV prevalence in the country stood at 3 per cent, with higher rates among females at 4 per cent compared to the male counterparts at 2 per cent.
The survey report further showed that HIV related deaths increased by 0.05 per cent in 2024, which translates to 21,007 deaths compared to 2023, which saw 18,473 deaths.
Health Ministry Clarifies Increase in HIV Prevalence in Nairobi
