Kenya is one of the four HIV ‘high burden’ countries in Africa. According to National AIDs Control Council, about 1.5 million people were living with HIV infection at the end of 2015.

 Women in Kenya are more vulnerable to HIV infections compared to Kenyan men, with the national HIV prevalence at 7.0 % for women and 4.7% for men as per the 2015 HIV Estimate report.

The high burden of HIV and AIDS in Kenya accounts for an estimated 29% of annual adult deaths, 20% of maternal mortality, and 15% of deaths of children under the age of five.

The epidemic has also negatively affected the country’s economy by lowering per capita output by 4.1%. Kenya has an estimated 71,034 new HIV infections among adults and about 6,613 new infections among children annually.

Kisumu County is among the top 4 counties leading in HIV prevalence in Kenya. According to the Kenya HIV Estimates 2015, HIV prevalence in Kisumu is 3.4 times higher than the national prevalence at 19.9%.
 The HIV prevalence among women in the county is higher (21.2%) than that of men (18.3%) indicating that women are more vulnerable to HIV infection than men in the County.

Kisumu County contributed to 9.5% of the total number of people living with HIV in Kenya and is ranked the third highest nationally. By the end of 2015, a total of 144,303 people were living with HIV in the County with 22% being young people aged 15-24 years and 6% being children under the age of 15 years.

 Approximately 501 children and 2,518 adults died from AIDS-related conditions in 2015. There was a decrease of 52% of HIV-related deaths among the children aged below 15 years and a decrease of 12% among adults aged 15 years and above since 2013 in the county.

The Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2014 revealed that 10% of women and 10% of men in Kisumu County had never tested for HIV. The survey also revealed that 65% of women and 82% of men had a comprehensive knowledge of HIV and AIDS.

On condom use, about 40% of women and 48% of men who had reported two or more sexual partners did not use condom during their last sexual intercourse (KDHS, 2014)

There is a need for the county government of Kisumu to Invest in HIV prevention and stigma elimination, with a special focus on adolescents and young people.