WORLD AIDS DAY 2022

In 1988 the global community set aside every December 1 to commemorate World AIDS Day to renew their commitment to ending AIDS as a public health threat. In Kenya, the first case was officially recorded 38 years ago. Since then, the Country has lost more than 2 million people to AIDS-related deaths. After close to four decades of intervention, the Country has made significant progress. HIV prevalence among adults (15-49 years) in the general population has declined from 9.1% in 2000 to 4.3% in 2021. New HIV infections reduced from about 101,448 in 2013 to 34,540 in 2021, while annual AIDS-related deaths declined from 52,964 in 2010 to 22,373 in 2021. 

The global World AIDS day theme for 2022 is EQUALISE, a call to End Inequalities that impact access to HIV treatment and prevention services. In Kenya, this is a call to address new HIV infections and invest in commodity security that will End AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

Kenya will commemorate the 2022 world AIDS day on December 1 across 47 counties. Bungoma County will host the national event. In 2021, the County reported 1,127 sexual and gender-based violence cases among adolescents aged 10-17 in Kenya. Across the Country, the pre and post-world AIDS day events will focus on public education to remind us that the war against AIDS is not over. In line with the Country’s strategic direction, there is a need to Sustain the gains, bridge the gaps and accelerate progress in the HIV response in Kenya.  

In line with the 2022 World AIDS Day global theme, EQUALIZE, and guided by the strategic direction of the Kenya AIDS Strategic Framework II, 2020/21-2024/25, Kenya has adopted the theme #Sawazisha End the Triple Threat as a prompt call for collective action to end new HIV infections, sexual and gender-based violence and adolescent pregnancies that perpetuate inequalities among adolescents and young people.

PROPOSED ACTIVITIES PRE AND POST-WORLD AIDS DAY DECEMBER 1 2022 

Interventions to commemorate World AIDS Day across the Country will focus on the following areas:

All stakeholders across the Country are called upon to focus on interventions that;

1. Celebrate the gains made while remembering the more than 2 million lives lost due to AIDS-related deaths;
2. Promote rights of those living and affected by HIV;
3. Address HIV-related stigma and discrimination that hinder access to prevention and treatment services; 
4. Promote public education and dialogue on ending new HIV infections among children, adolescents, and young people; 
5. Accelerating actions to End the triple threat through initiatives that engage adolescents and young people, including providing and distributing sanitary hygiene packs.
6. Supporting vulnerable communities heavily affected by the ongoing drought and famine through providing food and nutrition packs.
7. Promote efforts to mitigate climate change through environmental conservation, such as tree planting, in line with the President’s directive for the Country to plant five billion trees within the next five years.