Kenya has joined the global HIV community at the IAS 2026 Conference, uniting world-renowned researchers, policymakers, healthcare workers, affected communities, and development partners to accelerate the global response against HIV.
The high-level Kenyan delegation is led by the Director-General for Health, Dr. Patrick Amoth, alongside Director of Family Health Dr. Issak Bashir, Head of NASCOP Dr. Andrew Mulwa, and other senior technical leaders.
The conference is emphasizing on the central role of cutting-edge science, strong international partnerships, and community-led action in driving progress against the virus pillars that continue to guide global commitments to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Reaffirming its national commitment, Kenya has pledged to expand evidence-based HIV prevention and treatment including revolutionary long-acting prevention and treatment options while building resilient health systems that keep communities at the heart of the response.
An estimated 1.48 million Kenyans are currently living with HIV, translating to a national prevalence rate of 3.22%. Adolescents and young people aged 15 to 24 years continue to lead in new HIV infections, accounting for a massive share of the 13,936 new annual cases recorded nationally, with adolescent girls and young women facing the highest vulnerability. Among the overall population living with HIV, adults aged 30 to 49 years hold the highest total prevalence rate.
To curb transmission among vulnerable age groups and achieve the goal of ending AIDS by 2030, Kenya is scaling up a comprehensive prevention framework. This includes expanding uptake of long-acting injectable Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to enhance compliance, strengthening routine antenatal screening to eliminate mother-to-child transmission, delivering age-tailored sexual health education, and decentralizing community-centered care across all 47 counties.
