Kenya has a target of reducing new HIV infections among adults to fewer than 1,000 and those among children to below 200 by 2030 as part of a new strategy aimed at ending AIDS as a public health threat.
The targets, outlined in the Kenya AIDS Integration Strategic Framework (KAISF) 2026-2030, seek to consolidate gains made in the fight against HIV while addressing emerging challenges in prevention, treatment and financing.
The framework also aims to reduce AIDS-related deaths by 50 per cent, achieve full domestic financing of the HIV response and integrate services into Kenya’s broader healthcare system across all counties.
At the heart of the strategy is a vision of a healthcare system where HIV services are fully integrated into routine care and less reliant on external donor support.
Kenya’s goal is to create “a Kenya free of new infections, preventable deaths, and stigma from HIV and other syndemic diseases.”
The ambitious targets come despite the country continuing to record thousands of new infections annually, although recent figures indicate significant progress.
Preliminary 2026 HIV estimates show Kenya recorded 13,936 new HIV infections this year, including 10,540 among adults aged 15 years and above and 3,396 among children under the age of 15.
The report notes that while the figures highlight continuing programme and structural gaps, they also represent a 56 per cent decline from the 32,027 infections recorded in 2020, suggesting that expanded prevention efforts are producing results.
However, the epidemic continues to disproportionately affect certain groups.
According to the report, adolescent girls and young women remain among the most vulnerable, underscoring the need for targeted and age-responsive prevention programmes.
Children also remain a major concern. In 2026, those aged between zero and 14 years accounted for 3,396 of new infections, representing nearly a quarter of all new HIV infections recorded.
The report says the figures highlight the urgent need to strengthen Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) programmes, eliminate vertical transmission to below five per cent and accelerate paediatric HIV care.
Young people continue to bear a significant burden of the epidemic. About 4,321 new HIV infections were recorded among adolescents and young people aged 15 to 24 years, accounting for 41 per cent of all adult infections in 2026.
Combined, children, adolescents and young people account for 55 per cent of all new HIV infections in Kenya.
Health officials say these trends must be reversed if the country is to achieve its 2030 goals.
Despite the challenges, the latest estimates show substantial progress over the past five years. Total new infections declined from 32,027 in 2021 to 13,936 in 2026. Adult infections fell from 26,826 to 10,540, while infections among children dropped from 5,201 to 3,396 over the same period.
The most significant improvement was recorded among adolescents and young people aged 15 to 24 years, whose infections declined by 61.5 per cent, from 11,229 in 2021 to 4,322 in 2026. In contrast, infections among children recorded the smallest decline at 34.7 per cent.
Mother-to-child transmission remains one of the biggest obstacles to achieving the country’s targets. Although transmission rates have fallen from 9.3 per cent in 2024 to 8.04 per cent in 2026, they remain above the target of less than five per cent.
The report notes that about 38 per cent of new HIV infections among children resulted from mothers discontinuing antiretroviral treatment during breastfeeding.
As donor funding becomes increasingly uncertain, the framework acknowledges that Kenya is entering a critical phase in its HIV response. It calls for the creation of a resilient, integrated and domestically financed system capable of sustaining gains already made while accelerating progress towards ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
