Last month, Kenya became one of the first countries in the world to begin distributing lenacapavir. Described by scientists as the closest thing yet to a HIV vaccine, it has been heralded as a turning point in the global fight against the virus, including the 1.4 million Kenyans living with HIV, and the many more at risk.
For the government, the rollout is intended to mark a decisive step towards substantially reducing new HIV infections by 2030. But just a few miles away, in the dense sprawl of Kibera – one of Africa’s largest informal settlements – that future still feels distant.
Kibera has not been included among the priority areas selected for the first phase of the rollout. The omission is striking. HIV prevalence in Nairobi’s informal settlements is estimated at around 12 per cent, more than double the roughly five percent recorded in non-slum urban areas. The initial rollout will see 21,000 doses distributed across 152 health facilities in 15 high-burden counties. But the Tabitha Medical Clinic – the main health facility operated by CFK Africa, a long-standing community organisation in Kibera – is not among them.
Jeffrey Okoro, the organisation’s chief executive, grew up in the settlement. He says they have received no explanation for the exclusion and no indication of when that might change.
“I’ve seen firsthand how devastating HIV and AIDS can be. As an organisation, we welcome the national rollout. But in communities like Kibera, lenacapavir could be a game-changer. Right now, it’s not reaching the people who would benefit most”, he tells The Independent.
In theory, residents can travel to designated facilities elsewhere in Nairobi. In practice, that presents a barrier that is easy to underestimate. The nearest approved sites are between roughly 1.5 and 3.5 miles away. A one-way journey costs between 220 and 380 Kenyan shillings – the equivalent of £1.30 to £2.20. For residents living on less than £1.50 a day, that can be a choice between transport and food.
“People prefer to go to clinics they know and trust,” Okoro says. “If you push everything into national hospitals, you exclude the very people you say you are targeting.”
Read the full article on Independent UK.
