Westlands Member of Parliament (MP) Tim Wanyonyi has called for education and awareness to curb stigma and fear surrounding Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) disease as Kenya joins the world in marking World Aids Day on Monday, December 1, 2025.

The legislator has called for collective efforts to create a world where everyone has access to HIV prevention, treatment, and care.

Curbing HIV stigma

”As we mark World AIDS Day, we must agree that the only way to remove fear and stigma around the disease is through education and awareness, which we must commit to doing, to make the world free of stigma and full of understanding. We must work together to create a world where everyone has access to HIV prevention, treatment, and care,” Wanyonyi took to X on Monday, December 1, 2025.

Wnanyonyi’s call comes shortly after the Kenya Women Senators Association (KEWOSA) has concluded a countywide engagement in Bungoma, addressing the rising crisis of HIV infections, adolescent pregnancies, and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) under its Triple Threat Agenda.

KEWOSA has stressed that the Triple Threat constitutes a national emergency and called for immediate, coordinated action across all sectors. The statistics are stark, as in 2024, Bungoma reported 192 new HIV infections among adolescents, with an estimated 2,800 youths living with HIV.

While interventions such as school-based programmes, community sensitisation, and survivor support exist to curb the infections of HIV in the region, stakeholders noted they remain insufficient due to limited funding, poor data planning, and inadequate community involvement.

Surging infections in Bungoma

“Bungoma’s escalating Triple Threat is a national wake-up call. KEWOSA reaffirms its commitment to championing legislative, policy and community-level interventions that safeguard adolescents and protect their future,” Senator Veronica Maina stated during an engagement forum held at the ICM Grounds in Mt Elgon on Friday, November 21, 2025.

Meanwhile, the government, through the Ministry of Health, has urged young people to take a leading role in shaping Kenya’s response to HIV/AIDS.

Speaking at the Leadership Dialogue Meeting for Adolescents and Young People Living with HIV at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) on Saturday, November 29, 2025, Principal Secretary for Medical Services, Dr Ouma Oluga, emphasised that young people are the present and the future and must be involved in decisions that directly impact their health and wellbeing.