Kenya Close-Up
- Research/Demonstration Projects: Kenya has been the site of trials and demonstration projects of daily oral PrEP in serodiscordant couples, heterosexual women, men who have sex with men and sex workers. PrEP is slated to be included in the PEPFAR-supported DREAMS initiative focused on young women and adolescent girls. Click here for a full list of planned, ongoing and completed research/demonstration projects.
- Drug Registration: Kenya’s Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB)—the regulatory body that considers new drugs—approved Truvada TDF/FTC for PrEP for adults at high risk of sexually acquiring HIV-1 infection.
- Policy/Regulatory: In May 2017, Kenya launched a national PrEP program making PrEP available for people at substantial, ongoing risk of HIV infection. The National AIDS & STI Control Program (NASCOP) published the “PrEP Implementation Framework” to provide guidance on the rollout of PrEP in Kenya. Additionally, PrEP is incorporated into the Kenyan HIV Prevention Revolution Roadmap and is also identified as an evidence-based intervention in the most recent Kenya National Strategic Framework (KASF). PrEP is also included in the Guidelines on use of ARV drugs for treating and preventing HIV infections in Kenya – 2016 edition.
- Advocacy: Civil society and Kenyan researchers have worked in close collaboration to advance PrEP access in country, with dialogues and advocacy among key populations and at the national stakeholder level.
Last updated June 1, 2017
The Introduction of Oral PrEP in Kenya
Kenya has been at the forefront of introducing oral PrEP. It has been the site of numerous demonstration projects, is currently hosting a large-scale implementation project called Jilinde, and in May 2017 initiated a nation-wide rollout of oral PrEP. The timeline below captures key milestones in the PrEP introduction journey in Kenya, and offers a window into the many challenges and successes along the way.
Framework for the Implementation of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis of HIV in Kenya
In May 2017, Kenya’s Ministry of Health introduced pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as an addition to existing HIV prevention interventions. This framework for implementation of PrEP for HIV in Kenya aims to provide guidance on the rollout of PrEP in Kenya. The target audience include policy makers, national and county governments, health program managers, regulatory authorities, health providers, potential PrEP users and the general population.
Kenya PrEP and Self-Testing Abstract Book
This abstract book brings together a wealth of information on the experiences, best practices and lessons learned from some of the PrEP and Self-Testing pilot and demonstration projects in Kenya. The main aim is to support national implementation of PrEP and HIV Self-Testing, by highlighting what has worked well and finding solutions for what may not have worked well.
OPTIONS Activities
The OPTIONS consortium, a USAID Microbicide Product Introduction Initiative (MPii), with its Kenyan partner LVCT Health, has conducted a situation analysis of Kenyan HIV prevention with an emphasis on PrEP. Additional activities to support the Government in PrEP policy and implementation are in development, along with some potential modeling work and an investment scenario.
Kenya PrEP Communications Landscape Analysis
As the first step in a larger market preparation and communications plan, McCann Global Health (a member of the OPTIONS consortium) has conducted a landscape analysis of available information and knowledge on the demand creation and uptake of PrEP among vulnerable populations in Kenya, including serodiscordant couples, adolescent girls and young women, men who have sex with men, female sex workers and people who inject drugs. In addition to vulnerable populations, McCann also researched health care workers as the gatekeepers to HIV prevention products, services and information.
The objective of the landscape analysis is to uncover and/or confirm key findings, insights, tension points, gaps and needs for further investigation. Click below to view the full landscape analysis and the shorter gap analysis.
OPTIONS Situation Analysis Interim Findings Kenya
The OPTIONS Consortium developed this Situation Analysis to capture the current state of progress towards the introduction of oral PrEP in Kenya and to identify key strengths, gaps and areas for consideration for planning and investment moving forward.
The analysis, led by FSG in partnership with LVCT Health, was informed by research and interviews with in-country stakeholders and is organized along a simplified five-step value chain that is comprised of the core activities needed to introduce oral PrEP at the country level: planning and budgeting, supply chain management, delivery platforms, individual uptake and effective use and monitoring.
Click here to download the Situation Analysis.
Oral PrEP Mapping in Kenya
The HIV Prevention Market Manager created this map to highlight the range of actors WORKING ON oral PrEP in Kenya. Organizations and projects are mapped across area of focus (advocacy, guidelines, government, research, end user/marketing, implementation, technical assistance, coordination, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), regulation/registration, packaging, product modification, provider training, clinical monitoring, supply, communications, funding), by population focus and district/county. The mapping will be updated on an annual basis. For any updates or corrections to the information included please contact avac@avac.org.