Today, as we mark World AIDS Day, we share this kanga produced in 2002 by Urafiki Textile Company in Dar es Salaam. Across the top of its circular central motif runs the inscription: VIJANA TUMETANGAZA VITA DHIDI YA UKIMWI — “We young people declare war against AIDS.” Just above the lower border appears: KWA SABABU UWEZO TUNAO NA NIA TUNAYO — “Because we have the capacity and the will to do it.”

This year’s theme, “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response,” reflects a world now grappling with one of the most significant setbacks in the HIV response in decades. Major reductions in U.S. funding have disrupted essential services such as HIV testing and access to PrEP, and Kenya has been particularly affected. The Social Health Authority (SHA) initially excluded HIV care because these services were largely supported by international partners; but as that support has sharply diminished, patients across the country have felt the devastating impact on the services they depend on.

In October, members of the National Empowerment Network of People Living with HIV/Aids in Kenya (NEPHAK) petitioned the Ministry of Health to include HIV services within the SHA benefits package, highlighting the severe gaps now shaping their daily lives. While antiretroviral therapy remains free, services once funded by donors — including viral load testing, CD4 counts and creatinine tests — stalled for months.

Despite government assurances of improved services under Taifa Care, significant challenges persist. Speaking yesterday, NEPHAK president Zachton Ochillo said: “The emerging thing that is killing people with HIV is NCDs (non-communicable diseases). We are asking for a minimum package where HIV is also included.” We hope our government heeds this call for increased and consistent support for HIV care, to improve the quality of life of people living with HIV.

And as we observe World AIDS Day, we stand with people living with HIV and honour the memory of those who have died from AIDS-related illnesses.

Image credit: Kanga © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.