Nairobi: Kenya will roll out a groundbreaking new HIV-prevention drug in March across 15 priority regions, the health ministry said on Wednesday.
Lenacapavir, taken twice a year, has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV transmission by more than 99.9 percent, though it is technically a chemical drug rather than a vaccine because it does not train the immune system.
Kenya was among nine African countries selected last year to introduce lenacapavir, with rollout already under way in South Africa, Eswatini and Zambia since December.
Eastern and southern Africa account for about 52 percent of the 40.8 million people living with HIV worldwide, according to 2024 UNAIDS data.
Kenya received its first batch of 21,000 doses on Tuesday through a deal with lenacapavir’s manufacturer, Gilead Sciences, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS.
“The first phase of implementation will begin early March, covering 15 counties,” health minister Aden Duale said in a statement.
“We expect an additional 12,000 continuation doses by April,” he added.
The minister said the US government had committed to supply Kenya, which has an HIV prevalence of 3.7 percent, with an additional 25,000 doses of the drug.
The rollout of lenacapavir comes as African countries grapple with aid cuts by President Donald Trump’s administration that have affected HIV/AIDS programmes across the continent.
Kenya has close ties with the United States and in December signed a $2.5 billion health aid deal — the first such bilateral agreement after Trump dismantled the USAID agency and sidelined NGOs.
Under the agreement, the US will provide $1.6 billion over five years to Kenya to work on health issues including combating HIV/AIDS and malaria and preventing polio.
Kenya must contribute an additional $850 million and gradually take on more responsibility.
But the deal has been challenged by a Kenyan senator in court, who cites multiple constitutional violations.
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