HIV red flag: Young Kenyans account for 41 per cent of new cases
Data presented to Parliament by the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC) in March this year shows that 41 per cent of the 19,901 new HIV infections recorded in 2024 occurred among people aged 15 to 24.
Kenya is facing renewed concern over its HIV response, with young people aged 15 to 24 emerging as the biggest share of new infections, threatening to reverse gains made in the fight against the epidemic.
Data presented to Parliament by the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC) in March this year shows that 41 per cent of the 19,901 new HIV infections recorded in 2024 occurred among people aged 15 to 24.
Health officials say the trend reflects weakening prevention programmes, declining HIV awareness and reduced access to testing among young people.
NSDCC acting Chief Executive Officer Douglas Bosire told the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Health that Kenya is recording at least 54 new HIV infections and 57 HIV-related deaths every day.
About 1.3 million Kenyans are living with HIV, while the government spends approximately Sh19 billion annually on antiretroviral treatment.
“We are seeing at least 54 new infections every day. That means more people will require treatment, increasing the financial burden on the health system,” Bosire said.
He warned that prevention programmes have suffered from declining donor support, with HIV testing falling by 11 per cent between 2024 and 2025.
Voluntary medical male circumcision also dropped by 78 per cent, while tuberculosis screening among people living with HIV declined by 46 per cent.
“Knowledge levels among young people are extremely low, and fewer people are coming forward for testing,” Bosire told MPs, noting that HIV awareness campaigns that were effective in the 1990s and early 2000s have weakened.
The warning comes as the global HIV population grows older. The 2026 Lancet HIV Commission on Ageing estimates that 11.5 million people living with HIV—29 per cent—were aged 50 and above in 2025, a figure projected to rise to 20.2 million by 2040.
In Kenya, however, the immediate challenge remains preventing new infections, particularly among young people.
Health officials are calling for renewed investment in HIV education, testing, prevention and community mobilisation, warning that failure to address the rising infections among youth could erode decades of progress.
