Sections of Nairobi roads to be closed ahead of World AIDS Day races

The Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) has announced that sections of Nairobi Roads will be closed on Sunday, December 1, from 6 am to 10 am for the 2024 World AIDS Day half marathon and other races.

The marathon is aimed at promoting the health and well-being of men and boys.

It will start at Nyayo Stadium to Museum Hill via Uhuru Highway, Kenyatta Avenue, Koinange Street, Muindi Mbigu Street, Wabera Street, Taifa Road, Harambee Avenue, Parliament Road, Haile Selassie Street.

Lower and Upper Hill Roads, Marathon Road, Ragati Road, Hospital Road, Elgon Roa, Mtumbato Road, Masaba Road, Wakuhuri Road, Bunyala Road, Commercial Street, Enterprise Road, Dar es Salam Road, Dunga Road, Lusaka Road and Aerodrome Road.

“The public is requested to utilize alternative routes as guided by police and traffic marshals and to plan for this disruption,” KURA said.

Among the participants will be Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala, who has urged Kenyans to take part in the marathon.

“We need to talk about the fight. We actually need to race against time to curb HIV/AIDS by 2030," he said in an Instagram post.

“I will be participating in the World AIDS Day Half Marathon on December 1, to run for a cause that impacts us all. Let’s come together to raise awareness, break the stigma, and play our part in the fight against HIV/AIDS.”

The marathon has broken down into five races. The Wheelchair Race will start at 6:30 am, the Half Marathon will start at 7 am, the CEO’s Race at 7:10 am, the 10 km Run at 8:10 am and the 5 km Family Fun Run at 9am.

The marathon has been organised by the National Syndemic Disease Control Council (NSDCC), which has called upon Kenyans to join the fight against HIV and AIDS.

“The marathon is not just about running. It is about raising awareness and addressing the triple threat of new HIV infections, unintended pregnancies and sexual Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) among adolescents and young people, alongside challenges such as alcohol, drugs and substance abuse disorders,” NSDCC said.

The year’s marathon theme is “Promoting the health and wellbeing of boys and men”.

Why boys and men?

According to data by NSDCC, in 2023, the new cases of HIV infections among men and boys was 5,968, where 44 percent of the number occurred among ages 15 to 34.

In the same year, 487,710 men and boys were living with HIV with a prevalence of 2.2 percent.

The number included 415,721 men above 15 years old and 35,989 boys between ages 0 to 14 years.

In 2023, 9,808 men and boys died from AIDS, with 70 percent (6,859), being of men above 30 years and above.