Elgeyo Marakwet Marks World Aids Day in Style

Deputy Governor Grace Cheserek led Elgeyo Marakwet County residents in marking World Aids Day, commemorated every 1st of December globally.

Prof. Cheserek who represented Governor Wisley Rotich during the event held in Kamwosor, Keiyo South Sub County led those in attendance in calling for urgent action to mitigate new HIV infections, adolescent pregnancies and Sexual Gender Based Violence.

In a speech read on behalf of the Governor, Prof Cheserek regretted the current trends in the country where new HIV infections are reported to be among youths.

In Elgeyo Marakwet, statistics show that 515 adolescents are living with HIV and out of this number, 272 have been identified and put on treatment accounting for a 53% identification rate.

The Deputy Governor added that in the last one year, the County had 1,985 pregnancies from teenagers aged between 10-19, indicating a rising number of youths exposed to early sexual behavior and attendant HIV infections.
She further disclosed that the County had so far recorded 170 cases of Gender Based Violence which included sexual abuse predisposing victims to HIV.

“Stigma associated with HIV, teenage pregnancy and GBV remains a major challenge in our County hampering our efforts to mitigate the effects of HIV,” she added.

She said Governor Wisley’s administration had however laid strategies to mitigate the worrying trends through Identification and engagement of affected people, especially adolescent girls.

They include conducting community dialogue days, sensitize and empower our community on prevention of HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnancies and Gender Based Violence, strengthen school health programs on adolescent life skills, conduct psychological counseling of the affected individuals.

Others are distribution of Maisha packs, fight stigma associated with teenage pregnancy and HIV &AIDS, advocate for early Ante Natal Clinic visits for early diagnosis and interventions and strengthen collaboration with other key stakeholders in line with the County AIDS implementation plan .

“We shall also make use of the media through talk shows to advocate against various topics related to teenage pregnancies, sexual gender based violence and HIV/AIDS,” said Prof. Cheserek.

She added that the County would also develop targeted messages to be shared with select high-impact groups such as faith communities, academic institutions and various community organizations to sensitise locals on the vices.
“My government therefore calls for every stakeholder to join hands in full implementation of the County Afya Bora plan in conjunction with Universal Health Care in saving this young generation from this menace of teenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and Gender based violence that has robbed them their lucrative dreams of life. Our future lies in them,” said Governor Wisley in the speech.