Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Chelilim has come out to give reasons behind the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the county.

While speaking during an event in the county on Friday, September 12, 2025, he expressed his disappointment at how the county was recently ranked as the fourth in terms of prevalence of the virus.

The governor stated that the major thing leading to this surge is the nightlife in the city. He says that for the recent past, the city has now turned into a clubbing oasis, with people coming out from different regions and towns to club and hold parties in Eldoret.

He went ahead to urge the young people, who, according to him, are the ones engaging in these vices, to take control of their lives, stating that Eldoret City is surrounded by many institutions of higher learning, with a huge population of learners who, according to him, are the ones participating in the nightlife events.

For this case, he declared that going forward, he will take charge and make sure that he shapes the students who will be found engaging in nightlife activities.

“Nataka niambie vijana wetu mjichunge; you have a bright future ahead of you. I know we are surrounded by many institutions of higher learning, and we have a big population of students around the country, and there is something that has emerged called nightlife, and I am also shocked if this is the same Eldoret that I used to know; there are these clubs that have emerged.”

He further noted that the AIDS prevalence is escalating daily.

Meeting by Rachel Ruto

This comes a day after the first lady held a meeting with several stakeholders discussing the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, among other things, with governors to whom this virus is highly predominant also invited.

“The triple threat of HIV, teenage pregnancy, and sexual and gender-based violence demands our collective and urgent action.”

“We convened stakeholders from the Ministry of Health, county governments, and development partners to address existing gaps and harness the expertise of trained community health promoters, ensuring every adolescent is protected from the triple threat,” the first lady said.