The HIV and AIDS epidemic in Kenya was first discovered in 1984 and in that year seven deaths were recorded. The Ministry of Health immediately responded by creating a National AIDS Committee to lead the nation in combating the disease. This developed into an expanded programme when STDs control was included and the secretariat was renamed NASCOP.  In 1997 a Sessional paper No. 4 was formulated to provide a policy framework to guide the national response. This was endorsed by the cabinet and has since then provided guidance to the national response.
Despite all this effort and in a short span of eighteen years, Kenya has lost more than 1.5 million people and more than 2.0 million others are estimated to have the virus at present. This has generated more than 1 million orphans. There has been significant economic distraction and devastation in addition to this tremendous human destruction.
It is as a result of this impact of disease on the country that the president declared the epidemic a national disaster in November 1999. During this declaration the then Head of state said:
‘’AIDS is not just a serious threat to our social and economic development, but it is a real threat to our very existence. It has reduced many families to a status of beggars…… No family in Kenya remains untouched by the suffering and death caused by AIDS……… and the real solution of the spread of AIDS lies with each and every one of us’’ – Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi
A National AIDS Control Council (NACC) was formed to spearhead the national response and an expanded Kenya National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan 2005/6 – 2009/10 (KNASP) has been developed by the Joint AIDS Programme review (JAPR) to replace the 2000 to 2005 Strategic Plan which came to a close on June 30th, 2005. This new plan will guide the national effort for the next five years using the same multi-sectoral approach. Each organization is expected to exploit its strength and competence and apply this on the HIV and AIDS programs as part of national plan implementation.
Due to concerted efforts from both the civil society organizations and the public sector, the national prevalence of HIV and AIDS in Kenya is slowly coming down, though it must be noted that the number of new infections, especially among young girls continue to rise alarmingly. The current national HIV prevalence in Kenya is 6.1%.
The government is currently faced with difficult trade offs along three core lines.

Kenya has a severe, generalized HIV epidemic, but in recent years, the country has experienced a notable decline in HIV prevalence, attributed in part to significant behavioral change and increased access to ART. National adult HIV prevalence is estimated to have fallen from 10 percent in the late 1990s to about 6.1 percent in 2005. Women face considerably higher risk of HIV infection than men, and also experience a shorter life expectancy due to HIV/AIDS. The 7th edition of AIDS in Kenya reports an HIV prevalence rate of eight percent in adult women and four percent in adult men. Populations in Kenya especially at risk include injecting drug users and people in prostitution, whose prevalence rates are estimated at 53 percent and 27 percent, respectively.
Kenya is in a transitional period, with a government seeking to restructure many elements of the state. This context offers clear opportunities, but also many constraints for controlling HIV/AIDS. Human capacity development is a major concern and all partners are working to improve capabilities and human resource management systems to enable people to respond effectively to HIV/AIDS. Kenya has a large number of qualified, unemployed health care workers. The key to success will be developing effective mechanisms to engage these trained staff. In addition, efforts to employ auxiliary staff, such as adherence counselors and outreach workers, are a high priority. Treatment literacy is very low, which contributes to the high levels of stigma among health workers and the general population. Furthermore, for those who are receiving ART, systematic monitoring and evaluation is lacking.
NEPHAK must strengthen its advocacy to ensure that access to treatment is a priority for the government and that comprehensive health care services are in place in all districts to ensure that those reaching the stage of AIDS are adequately cared for and supported. AIDS has brought to the spotlight many social weaknesses and other ethical, legal, and economic issues which society was previously not concerned with.
 AIDS has increased demands on social services faster than ever before as both the skilled manpower are lost from the workforce and facilities over-stretched. In Kenya, like in many other sub-Saharan countries, the survivors of the HIV and AIDS pandemic - predominantly children and the elderly - are dependants left without economic support and who have already overwhelmed traditional systems of adoption. The elderly persons, left with responsibility of rearing the children have themselves lost regular sources of income from their working adult children to AIDS.
Stigma and discrimination continue to be a big hindrance to prevention, care, support and the mitigation of socio-economic impact of HIV and AIDS in the nation. NEPHAK has a huge role to play to ensure that stigma directed at people living with HIV and AIDS is reduced.
With the launch of NEPHAK in September 2004, there was a new resolve for PLWHA organizations and individuals to fully participate in the national response by complementing government efforts as part of NEPHAK social responsibility. A countrywide programme for NEPHAK will soon be in place after necessary institutional infrastructures have been developed availability of resources. The management and effective implementation of the NEPHAK strategy will depend on a strong foundation of NEPHAK itself, and it is hoped that the current suggested restructuring and re-organization will result in a strong effectively decentralized network capable of carrying out its stated mandates.
For more information click on any of the links below
www.nacc.go.ke
www.globalfundkccm.or.ke
www.aidskenya.org