Nairobi Shines Over Cities, Feted With ‘Circle Of Excellence Award’ In Portugal Over Impressive Fight On HIV

The NMS Health Directorate has today been awarded in Lisbon Portugal by Fast Track Cities Institute and UNAIDS with a ‘Circle of Excellence Award’ for being exemplary in HIV/AIDS fight.

“Since joining the Fast-Track Cities network in 2014, Nairobi City-County, in partnership with local, national, and international stakeholders, has made steady progress towards the aim of ending its HIV epidemic by 2030. Through its “Nairobi City-County HIV & AIDS Strategic Plan,” and innovative programming, Nairobi City-County has been successfully closing the gaps between HIV diagnoses and treatment initiation with antiretroviral therapy, as well as creating enabling environments for viral suppression. Equally impressive are efforts advanced in partnership with civil society to reach vulnerable population, through programming that attempts to address persistent HIV and intersectional stigma.” Dr. José M. Zuniga, FTCI President said.

NMS Health Director Dr. Ouma Oluga receiving the award in Lisbon from Dr. Jose M. Zuniga who is the President/CEO of IAPAC (International Association of Providers of AIDS Care). He is also the Co-Chair together with UNAIDS of Fast Track Cities Institute.

Nairobi County currently has the highest burden of people living with HIV in Kenya with estimated 167,446 residents living with HIV in the city and 12,779 being children less than 14 years of age (Kenya HIV Estimates Report, 2020). It is estimated that 4,446 new infection occurred in the city in 2020 with adolescents and young people contributing 1,475 (33%) of all new infections (Kenya HIV Estimates Report 2020). Notably, in the last two decades NCC has consistently recorded decreasing HIV prevalence rates from 24.6% in 1995, to 14.4% in 2001, to 8% in 2013, 6.1% in 2017 and down to 5.2% by the end of 2020.
As a capital city, Nairobi hosts highly mobile populations with in-and-out population flows due to internal migration and refugees (external migration notwithstanding).

The County also features factors that put people at increased risk of contracting HIV particularly among key populations (KPs) and adolescents and young people (AYP) particularly young girls and these include rapid urbanization, high levels of poverty in ever-growing informal settlements, and lingering stigma and discrimination leading to constraints in accessing health services by these populations.

”As outlined in the Kenya AIDS Strategic Framework II 2020/2021 – 2024/2025 and captured in County AIDS Implementation Plan 2020/2021 – 2024/2025 (CAIP), the county is committed to achieving the 95-95-95 targets by the year 2022 and to end the HIV epidemic by 2030.” Dr. Ouma Oluga, NMS Health Director said while receiving the award.

Dr. Oluga applauded the thousands of health workers working in NMS hospitals and the leadership particularly Director General of NMS Lt. Gen Mohamed Abdala Badi for creating the environment of excellence.

NMS has been able to construct and put in operation 23 aerial hospitals in the city making accessibility of healthy services to many easier as compared to the previous administrations that suffocated public hospitals such as Kenyatta National Hospital that is currently decongested thanks to the expansion of supplementary hospitals.

The award is unique as Nairobi becomes the first African city to be feted with the prestigious award.