Children, teenagers and young women continued to shoulder the greatest burden of new HIV infections in Kenya last year, even as the country recorded one of its strongest gains yet in reducing the spread of the virus, newly released government estimates show.
Data published on Thursday by the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC) indicates that 13,936 people contracted HIV in 2025, with more than half of the new infections recorded among children and young people.
The latest figures point to continued progress in the country's HIV response, with new infections falling sharply from 32,027 cases reported in 2020.
“While this represents ongoing programmatic and structural gaps, it reflects a substantial 56 per cent decline from the 32,027 new infections recorded in 2020, signalling that scaled-up prevention frameworks are yielding strong results,” the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC) said.
The estimates show that 10,540 of the new infections occurred among people aged 15 years and above. Another 3,396 infections were reported among children below 15 years, while adolescents and young adults aged between 15 and 24 years accounted for approximately 4,321 cases.
NSDCC Chief Executive Officer Douglas Bosire described the decline as the biggest reduction Kenya has achieved since the HIV epidemic emerged in the country.
“The 95-95-95 treatment targets have been maintained, with viral load suppression holding in a majority of counties. The prevention of mother-to-child transmission cascade was protected in 44 of 47 counties despite the 2025 funding disruption,” he said.
County data released alongside the estimates shows that the burden of new infections remains concentrated in a few regions.
Nairobi recorded the highest number of new HIV infections at 1,516. Kisumu followed with 1,057 cases, while Homa Bay and Migori reported 985 and 970 infections respectively.
At the other end of the scale, Wajir recorded the lowest number of new infections at 10.
Even with the overall decline, the report notes that certain groups continue to face a much higher risk of infection than others.
“The distribution of new HIV infections, however, continues to reveal persistent age and gender disparities. Adolescent girls and young women remain disproportionately affected, highlighting the critical need for sustained, age-responsive and targeted structural prevention efforts,” the report says.
The council said the changing pattern of infections requires focused prevention efforts tailored to the needs of different regions and populations.
“These shifting epidemiological trends call for intensified, gender-responsive and sub-nationally tailored HIV prevention interventions to sustain momentum, address regional inequities and effectively close emerging gaps,” the report says.
Bosire also warned that many Kenyans living with HIV are now battling other serious illnesses at the same time.
According to him, more than half of people living with HIV in the country have at least one non-communicable disease.
He said women living with HIV face a cervical cancer risk that is six times higher than that of women without HIV, contributing to more than 5,200 new cases and 3,800 deaths every year.
Bosire further noted that tuberculosis remains one of the deadliest health threats linked to HIV, claiming about 23,500 lives annually, including 20,000 deaths associated with HIV and Aids co-infection.
“Tuberculosis claims 23,500 lives annually, of which 20,000 are attributed to HIV and Aids co-infection. Kenya’s disease burden is one interconnected syndemic, not six separate conditions each requiring its own programme,” he said.