Condom shortage forcing Thika residents to wash old ones for reuse.
Stanley Ngara or "The King of Condoms" (left) chats with some Kiandutu residents as he distributes free condoms to the residents. |
An acute condom deficit has hit the country jeopardising the
war against HIV/AIDS.
Some Kiandutu residents have now confessed to washing
condoms for reuse due to scarcity and the financial constraints as they claim
that they are expensive.
“I have no money to purchase a female condom. The money I
have can only buy me unga and vegetables. I thereby have no
option but to wash my condom severally for reuse,” said Martha Wangari.
Martha says that she is not alone in the practice as most women
were doing so due to the unavailability of free female condoms which were
rather expensive compared to those used by men.
Speaking after distributing over 10,000 condoms to Kiandutu
slum, Stanley Ngara, a HIV/AIDS crusader in Thika, the shortage has been most
in the slums, forcing some of the residents wash used condoms for reuse.
Ngara is worried that the country might lose the gains made
so far in the prevention of HIV and AIDS if the shortage persisted.
“'If we are talking about HIV prevention, condom is very key.
There is a big deficit in supply of condom especially in the informal
settlements like Kiandutu and Gachagi which is negatively affecting the
progress made in the fight against the scourge. People are being forced to wash
used condoms for reuse,” explained Ngara, popularly known as the ‘King of
Condoms’.
Ngara admitted that people living in slums engaged in sexual
relationships in great numbers thus there was need for regular distribution of
the essential commodity to avert HIV infections.
“In slums, young girls start engaging into sexual intercourse
at a very tender age due some of the challenges they encounter. Women are also
forced to indulge in sexual relationships for food and money to pay rent,” he explained.
“No one is to blame for this. Otherwise, Kenyans should stop
burying their heads in the sand and should join hands in the fight,” he added,
He appealed to residents to go for voluntary testing in
order to know their status.
According to statistics by the National Empowerment Network
for People Living with HIV and Aids (NEPHAK), Kenya is ranked fourth worldwide after
India, Nigeria and South Africa respectively in HIV/AIDS prevalence.
About 15 million Kenyans were sexually active making it
necessary to sensitise people on prevention of the AIDS scourge.
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