By Sharon Onyango
Siaya County has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening HIV prevention through the scale-up of long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), following a comprehensive progress review meeting. The meeting brought together county health officials, implementing partners, healthcare providers, and community stakeholders to assess the rollout of innovative HIV prevention options, mainly Cabotegravir (CAB-LA) and Lenacapavir (LEN).
The review comes at a pivotal time as Kenya continues integrating long-acting PrEP into its National HIV prevention strategy. Siaya County, among the first 15 high-burden counties selected for Lenacapavir distribution, officially launched the six-month injectable option in March 2026 after the country received its first shipment earlier this year.
Speaking during the session, Dr. Bob Awino County AIDS and STI Coordinator, emphasized the need for strategic prioritization in service delivery, particularly for vulnerable populations. He underscored the importance of supporting pregnant and breastfeeding mothers currently on oral PrEP while also ensuring high-risk groups are effectively reached through informed, client-centered programming. His remarks highlighted the critical role healthcare workers play in guiding clients through prevention choices while safeguarding continuity of care.
Participants noted significant milestones, including robust community outreach, regional sensitization forums, and encouraging uptake among key populations such as female sex workers (FSWs) and men who have sex with men (MSM).
Youth-focused outreach approaches were highly commended for helping reduce stigma while boosting participation, with Bondo Youth Wellness Center standing out as a strong example of effective, youth-friendly HIV prevention service delivery.
Dorothy Adala from KISWA outlined the organization’s objectives, introducing the upcoming “PrEP My Way” initiative aimed at improving flexibility and accessibility for users. The program seeks to allow clients to refill PrEP from any participating facility while building a network of prevention champions across counties. Adala noted that the initiative will specifically target sex workers aged 18 to 30, a population considered highly vulnerable yet often underserved.
During the review, Zilper Imbuye, Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission (PMTCT) coordinator, stressed that listening to client experiences and addressing fears around injectable PrEP would be key to sustaining momentum. She noted that misconceptions, fear of side effects, and limited awareness continue to slow acceptance, emphasizing that tailored messaging and better packaging of information are necessary to build trust and demand.
Despite the notable progress, stakeholders acknowledged persistent challenges, including frequent staff turnover, widespread misconceptions surrounding injectable PrEP, inconsistent commodity supply, and the urgent need for more customized support for discordant couples as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women.
The meeting concluded with clear recommendations centered on continuous sensitization, stronger commodity security, provider training, and integrating client voices into programming. As Kenya advances toward broader PrEP access, Siaya’s experiences offer valuable lessons in balancing innovation with community realities—an essential step towards reducing new HIV infections and accelerating progress towards epidemic control.