Kilifi county officials to discuss HIV issues with injecting drug users, sex workers

Published on Friday, 30 August 2013 14:09 Representatives of Injecting Drug Users (IDUs), male and female sex workers will discuss with members of the County Executive Committee, County Assembly, law enforcers, judicial officials and other stakeholders, the laws and policies that contribute to the rise of new HIV infections in Kilifi County today, 30th August 2013. Convened by KELIN in partnership with UNDP-Kenya and UNAIDS, the county forum aims to provide a platform for policy, law makers and enforcers to engage with the PLHIV and those at risk of infection to discuss an effective HIV county response with a focus on legislation and policy development. A similar activity was also undertaken in Kisumu County. According to the Commission on Revenue Allocation fact sheet, Kilifi County is ranked as the 11th highest county in terms of new infections with an estimated 1,600 new infections every year. Malindi in Kilifi County has the second highest number of injecting drug users in Kenya, after Mombasa. The report approximates that 17% of new HIV infections at the Kenyan coast are linked to intravenous drug use and the number of sex acts per sex worker is 634 with an average of 129 different partners annually. KELIN’s Advocacy and Training Officer Ms. Melba Katindi says that the devolution process in Kenya has laid the foundation for bringing services close to people and providing solutions to problems that affect the people. “There is need for county governments to collaborate with all stakeholders to proactively respond to the epidemic from a multi-sectoral perspective, “ she adds. With the National AIDS Control Council pushing for county ownership of the HIV response, addressing the legal barriers has become more important than ever as evidenced by the findings of the study conducted by Global Commission on HIV & the Law. KELIN and its partners will collaborate with stakeholders in several counties to ensure a supportive legal and policy environment for effective HIV response. To contribute to the discussions during the forum, follow KELIN on our social media platforms for the latest updates: Twitter: https://twitter.com/KELINKenya Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kelinkenya Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/kelinkenya   Source: KELIN Kenya