President Ruto commits to ending HIV/AIDS in children by 2027

President William Ruto has reaffirmed the government's commitment to eradicating HIV/AIDS infections among children by 2027.

Speaking at the 20th-anniversary event of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) on Tuesday, Ruto emphasized the need to compensate for lost time in the battle against the disease.

“We are committed to ending AIDS in children by 2027, as part of our commitment under the Global Fund alliance. The time is now to take a strong stand and make up for lost ground for the sake of Kenya’s children,” asserted Ruto.

Acknowledging the stigma faced by those with HIV in the past, President Ruto noted the loss of millions of lives that posed a threat to the country's productivity and economy.

“Those affected confronted their troubles by themselves abandoned or sometimes wholly forgotten. This country lost millions of people in this manner and for a while, it looked like the HIV/AIDS problem would wipe out much of our productive population, robbing the economy off workers and families of bread winners,” he stated.

He commended the partnership between Kenya and the United States through PEPFAR, which has been providing vital support since its establishment in 2003.

“Serious support was urgently needed in order to raise the level of necessary intervention on an effective scale. This support came in the form of the PEPFAR,” he said.

President Ruto credited the collaboration for the significant progress in supporting over 1.3 million individuals, including 48,000 children and 55,000 breastfeeding mothers, with antiretroviral treatment.

“The number of people living with HIV is about 1.4 million, of which about 1.3 million receive ARVs from more than 3, 000 health facilities across the country. This number includes over 48,000 children as well as 55,000 breastfeeding mothers on HIV treatment,” he added.

While celebrating the positive, the Head of State also acknowledged the challenge of funding, revealing a substantial gap of USD11.75 million (approx. Ksh.1.785 billion) due to a decline in donor support.

“The conversation that is going to ensue shortly in Kenya is how we are going to deal with the challenge of finance. HIV-related commodities are estimated to cost between Ksh.27-30 billion annually and, owing to a decline in donor support, the funding gap now stands at USD 11.75 million,” he said.

As Kenya joins 12 other African countries in the Global Alliance to End AIDS in children by 2027, President Ruto called on stakeholders to contribute to a sustainable national HIV response.

The four-pronged strategy will target eliminating AIDS in children in the next four years, including ending mother-to-child transmission of HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis.

The strategy will also leverage and accelerate a multi-sector approach to address the triple threat of new HIV infections, pregnancies and sexual and gender-based violence facing the youth.