• The sex workers are now registered under the Eldoret Sex Workers Alliance.
• They formed the alliance to cater to their welfare and help sensitise group members on the dangers they face on the streets in the town.
Image: BY MATHEWS NDANYI
The number of sex workers in Eldoret town has increased to more than 3,000, amid an acute shortage of condoms.
The sex workers are now registered under the Eldoret Sex Workers Alliance. They formed the alliance to cater to their welfare and help sensitise group members on the dangers they face on the streets.
AS, the director of the alliance, said the sex workers have complained of an acute shortage of condoms, which exposes them to diseases.
She said many of them have been forced to use of available pills as protection against diseases such as HIV-Aids.
AS said the sex workers in Eldoret are risking their lives while entertaining their clients without condoms.
According to AS, the shortage of condoms for a long period has posed a great threat to the sex workers fraternity who are at risk of sexually transmitted infections.
“They are opting to use preps (Pre-exposure prophylaxis) taken to prevent HIV but they do not protect the sex workers from other STIs and unwanted pregnancies unlike the use of condoms give all-round protective,” she said.
She said they had made several appeals to the government, especially the Ministry of Health in the region to give them condoms but their efforts have hit a brick wall.
“The county government has not supported us in getting supplies of the condoms because they say we must have a code given to us by the Ministry of Health to access the commodities,” she said.
The shortage of condoms has been reported countrywide.
Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF) executive secretary Dr Samuel Kinyanju said the country needs at least 455 million condoms per year but the government is able to supply 150 million condoms.
Health experts warn that the ongoing shortage of condoms may escalate the spread of sexually transmitted infections as well as a rise in unwanted pregnancies.
Despite the continuous efforts by the government to control the spread of HIV-Aids, statistics from the National Syndemic Disease Control Council (NSDCC) indicates that Kenya has been experiencing 32,000 new infections per year. Of the number, 42 per cent are young people aged 15-24 years.
In the recent past, Uasin Gishu reported increased cases of sexually transmitted diseases, especially gonorrhea within Kamukunji estate and its environs.
Other sexually transmitted diseases include chlamydia, genital herpes, HPV, syphilis and pubic lice.
“We still urge the government to ensure adequate supply of condoms so that we stop the spread of the diseases some of which will pose a heavy burden to the healthcare system,” AS said.
She said sex workers face many other challenges on the streets, including violence, but they have been using the organisation to deal with some of the emerging challenges.