Civil society groups in Kenya are complaining about a chronic shortage of free condoms across the country, a report said. Condoms are usually imported by Kenya and distributed for free but due to high taxes suppliers are no longer providing Kenya with free condoms, BBC reported.
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The activists want the government to remove taxes on the products as it will help in reducing new HIV infections as Kenya needs about 455 million condoms annually, but the government is only able to procure 150 million.
Condoms are central to campaigns to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhoea and chlamydia. Kenya records about 34,000 new HIV infections annually. However, since 2020, there has been a steady increase especially among sex workers.
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Civil society groups have put the blame on the government's high import taxes as a packet that has three condoms is sold for about $1in Kenya – a cost too high for many.
{{/usCountry}}Civil society groups have put the blame on the government's high import taxes as a packet that has three condoms is sold for about $1in Kenya – a cost too high for many.
{{/usCountry}}If the shortage persists, Kenya could roll back on the gains made over the years in tackling HIV, activists have warned.