Kitui County Unveils Transition Roadmap To Sustainable HIV And TB Program

 

Kitui County Governor Dr. Julius Malombe

Kitui County Governor Dr. Julius Malombe on Friday unveiled the Kitui County Transition Roadmap to a Sustainable HIV/TB Program 2023-2027.

The Governor Malombe while speaking during the unveiling ceremony held at his office in Kitui town, said that the Transition Roadmap marks a significant milestone in the county’s public health efforts in the fight against the two diseases in the county. 

The governor highlighted the remarkable progress made in controlling the spread of HIV and TB within the county. In the recent past years, the county noted a decrease of the HIV prevalence rate in the county from 3.8% in 2021 to 3.1% in 2024.

“The success has also been achieved due to the collaborative efforts of the county government and its partners, not also forgetting the financial support that Kitui has received over the years amounting to over Sh 750 million since 2008”, said Dr Malombe. 

He further noted that the prevalence rate among females is estimated at 4.6% compared to males at 1.6% which demonstrates a relatively better health seeking behaviour among the female population compared to men.

“The county currently has a HIV Mother to Child Transmission (MTCT) rate of 15.7%, with concerted efforts, my government aims to reduce the transmission rate to below 5%. This is being achieved by focusing on the preventive and promotive health in the county with great emphasis on engagement of Community Heath Promoters (CHPs),” he noted. 

“Additionally, we endeavor to improve health services and upgrade the Level II and Level III facilities as envisioned in the “Kitui Promise”. These Level II and Level III facilities attend to most of our citizens, including expectant mothers and shall be a key component towards “Ending AIDS in Children by 2027,” as envisioned by the President of the Republic of Kenya, the governor said. 

Despite the county’s efforts in the fight against the two deadly diseases, governor Malombe regretted that over the years funding for the HIV/TB program in Kitui County has had a significant decrease from Sh. 161 million in 2017/2018 to Ksh. 117 million in 2022/2023, a reduction of 28% which is quite an insignificant reduction for the program.

Dr Malombe lamented that the county health sector is in the process of an inevitable and sustained change in donor funding landscapes.

“Since 2003, the US government has invested over 8 billion dollars (Kshs.1,040 trillion) in Kenya with Kitui receiving over Sh750 million since 2008 which supports HIV prevention, care and treatment services in the county,” he added 

This reduction poses a challenge to the sustainability of the program.

The newly launched Transition Roadmap aims to mitigate this challenge by shifting from reliance on US government funding to a county-led, owned, and funded HIV/TB program. 

In efforts to cumbat the said challenges from reduction of the funds, the county boss Dr Malombe announced the establishment of the Kitui County Cooperative Agreement (CoAg) – the TUJIMUDU Project. 

He disclosed that This Government-to-Government funding initiative with the US Government has provided the county with Sh36 million to enhance the health system.

Dr. Jennifer Galbraith, the Centre for Disease Control Country Director, praised Kitui’s leadership for its significant progress in reducing HIV prevalence. She also commended the county government for its effective cooperation and commitment to public health.

The commissioning of the Transition Roadmap represents a forward-thinking approach to health management in Kitui, ensuring continued progress and sustainability in the fight against HIV and TB.

By Denson Mututo and Rose Mwangi