Health officials in Bungoma County have revealed that they are alarmed by statistics as men avoid HIV/ AIDS testing instead rely on their wives for the results.
Dr. Caleb Watta, the county’s health and sanitation director reported that new data shows infections remain higher among women largely because men are not turning up for testing.
He notes that the government’s target is to end HIV/AIDS infection by 2030.
“We have done our statistics and it shows that men want their wives or partners to test for HIV so that they know their status from it,” he said.
Dr. Watta argued that even during the World Aids day at KMTC grounds in Bungoma only females came up for the HIV testing.
The director explained that one partner testing negative for HIV doesn’t mean that the other one is safe.
“Whenever you get time to accompany your partner to the clinic don’t just sit out, go and test for HIV too, because you assume that you are safe, there something called widow period may be yours would show later,” he advised.
Dr. Watta Bungoma has made significant strides in the fight against the spread of the new HIV infections.
“Previously, like two to three years ago, Bungoma was not doing well in terms of fighting the triple threats but through collaboration with other stakeholders we have made strides in fighting the menace,” he said.
He reveals that according to the ministry of health statistics, indicates that there is an improvement in terms of preference noting that in 2023, the HIV preference in Bungoma was at 2.3 percent but now (2025) stands at 1.7 percent.
National Syndemic disease control council report that mother to child transmission of HIV remains unacceptably high in Kenya, rising to 9.3 percent in 2024 from 7.3 percent in 2023. This exceeds the global target of 5 percent of 5 percent and highlights persistent gaps in preventing vertical transfusion.
He further noted that the new infections now in Bungoma is at 679 people encouraging the use of condoms as a prevention strategy to reduce the cases. He reports that the new infections in Bungoma are contributed by youths.
Watta noted that the high gender based violence (GBV) and teenage pregnancies in Bungoma go hand in hand with the new HIV infections. Sexual and gender based violence among children and adolescents has increased, 78 percent of all pregnancies due to rape/ defilement occur among adolescents aged 10-19 years.
Defilement is a deeply traumatic experience with a wide range of severe and long- lasting consequences.
“Through the gender violence and teen pregnancy cases is where people get the new HIV infections,” he stated. In Bungoma health facilities, Dr. Watta states that there are youth friendly service centers where they can just walk in and get the services.
“If you fear going for HIV testing, in our facilities we have erected youth friendly centers where youths can walk in and be tested without anybody seeing you,” he noted.
He argues that in Bungoma there are 182 public health facilities and 172 private ones against a population of 2 million people which is enough to serve all of us.
“Kindly I humbly ask you to let us visit these health facilities and get to know our health,” he said.
He also encouraged those who tested positive for the HIV to take medication as directed by the doctor to help in suppressing the virus.
Dr. Watta also attributed the surge in the HIV cases to withdrawal of USAID support.
