A team of experts from the US Centre for Disease Control, United States Agency for International Development and US Peace Corps will be involved in the implementation of AIDS programmes in Kenya
140,000 to get free Aids drugs
By MARK AGUTU
and SIMON SIELE
About 140,000 people infected with HIV/Aids will be receiving free-life prolonging drugs by next year.
The anti-retrovirals will be made available through funds already allocated to Kenya by the American Government, deputy US ambassador Leslie Rowe said.
The Kenya Government has assured the US that the set target would be realised on time, Ms Rowe said.
"This is a tremendous commitment from the Kenya Government. We will be working closely with them to ensure the goal of making HIV drugs available is realised," Ms Rowe said.
The 140,000 Kenyans are part of the three million people globally the World Health Organisation and United Nations Joint Programme on Aids (Unaids) have targeted to receive free drugs by 2005 in what is referred to as the 3 by 5 Initiative. More than two million Kenyans are currently HIV positive.
Kenya is among 14 countries worldwide to benefit from the $15 million package promised by President George W. Bush as part of his government's contribution to the global fight against HIV/Aids, Ms Rowe said.
Disbursement of the money has already begun alongside other emergency programmes, she said said.
A team of experts from the US Centre for Disease Control, United States Agency for International Development and US Peace Corps will be involved in the implementation of the programmes in Kenya.
Ms Rowe made the remarks at the weekend when she officially opened a special VCT centre for providing counselling and HIV/Aids testing services to deaf people.
Located at the Kenya National Deaf HIV/Aids Education Programme offices in Buruburu, Nairobi, the new VCT centre is reputed as the first of its kind in Africa, targeting a special category of people.
It has been set up by the Liverpool VCT Services with financial assistance from the US Centers for Disease Control.
Ms Rowe described the opening of the centre as a big gain in the fight against HIV/Aids in Kenya among disadvantaged groups.
The interpreters and counsellors appealed to the Government to introduce sign languages during news bulletins on television.
"During news bulletins and broadcasts on HIV/Aids, we are only reduced to watching things on TV but cannot follow as there are no interpreters," said Moses Nteere, one of the deaf counsellors at the centre, who spoke through an interpreter.
# A trade unionist lost his bid to be elected to a constituency Aids committee after he made what was interpreted as disparaging remarks about people living with the disease.
Mr David Kimani of the Kenya National Union of Teachers wanted to represent teachers in the Molo constituency committee.
He was shouted down when he claimed, "Aids is a very good disease because people who contract it go out to look for it."
Self-confessed HIV positive people, led by Ms Jane Wamaitha, stood up and demanded an apology.
It took area MP Macharia Mukiri's intervention to calm the tension.
Prior to the election, some councillors had petitioned the MP for postponement, citing poor representation for their wards.
Mr Mukiri, however, went ahead and called for the elections.
The lawmaker told to the meeting held at Home-Craft hall in Njoro that there was no more time left, saying the deadline was yesterday.
