1. THE CURRENT STATUS & RESPONSE TOWARDS AIDS IN KENYA
Dr. Margaret Akinyi Wagah,
RENEWAL KENYA National Coordinator
Dr. Samwel Boaz Otieno, Kenya NAP

2. THE BIG CHALLENGE 1.5 million Kenyans have died of AIDS.
1.8 million are orphaned.
The economic loss per day is estimated to be about Kshs. 200 million.
Life expectancy in the country has dropped from 60 years in 1993 to about 47 years 2003 due to HIV/AIDS.

3. PREVALENCE RATES

4. VARIOUS SECTORS IMPACTED NAGATIVELY BY HIV/AIDS
For Example, in Agriculture:
Direct Impact:
Reduction of labor supply (in 1999, MoA attributed 58% of staff deaths to AIDS-related complications)
Reduction in productivity
Reductions in Food security
Decline in nutritional & Health status in resource poor settings in AIDS affected households…

5. RK’s PARTNERS RK established in mid-2005
RENEWAL Kenya aims at strengthening partnerships with organizations addressing HIV, Food and Nutrition security in the country
National Aids Control Program: RK sits in the Joint HIV Program Review

6. RK’s PARTNERS Other partners include: IDRC, SIDA, ACTION-AID
Local NGOs eg Tropical institute of community health in Africa (TICH), KAIPPG, ROP
Institutions of higher learning e.g. Moi University (AMPATH), Kenyatta University

7. RK’s CURRENT ACHIEVEMENTS
To achieve RENEWALS core pillars of AR, CS & PC, RK has been involved in the following activities:
Background paper for Kenya & stakeholder mapping
Regional meeting held in Nairobi (2005, 2006)
RK Round Table Workshop (2006)
Partnerships established with policy/program organizations
Local meetings with international visitors e.g. USAID (Health Child survival/HIV; Nutrition Technical Adviser); Wall Street Journal Staff Reporter)
Dissemination of RK AMPATH Study in number of fora, international and local (IAC, Toronto, 33rd session Geneva, upcoming Kenyatta University conference)

8. RKs PRIORITIES and Future Activities
Action Research
T1 – AIDS and Environment (MSU, CDC, ILRI)
T2 – OVCs, livelihoods and social protection (neglected in Kenya to date)
T3 - Follow up to AMPATH study (phase 2, links to TASO work)
Capacity Strengthening
Professional development (policy makers, NAP members, implementers – modules)
Regional cross-learning, cooperation
Strengthening N-S research collaborations
Communications
Development of policy briefs as outreach to key policy ministries
Engagement in policy discussions relevant to AIDS, FNS
Dissemination of research in local, national, regional and international for a (ongoing)