War against the Triple Threat remains a reverie as condoms shortage hits the country
Jessie Mugambi Munene
By Jessie Mugambi Munene
A shocking revelation on the Daily Nation dated 11th of April 2026 on how the USA funding freeze has affected condoms availability in the country points out that if immediate and urgent measures are not taken, then the Government`s commitments and ambitious plan of eradicating the Triple Threat by the year 2030 remains a reverie.
Informed by the surge of teenage pregnancies and cases of Gender Based Violence after the Covid-19 lockdown, on 9th September 2020, Principal Secretaries from various Government departments directed the establishment of Sub National Technical Working Groups on ending teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence. As a result, 47 multi-sectorial County Technical Working Groups were established to address these issues at the Sub National levels.
Cognizant of the interconnection of new HIV infections, unintended pregnancies, and sexual and gender-based violence among adolescents, on 1st December 2021 the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC), the National Council for Population and Development (NCPD), the State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action and the Sub National Governments jointly decided to tackle the triad challenge. This joint effort was referred to as ending the Triple Threat, which includes Adolescent and Teen Pregnancies, HIV infections among young people and Gender Based Violence.
The World Health Organization informs us that condoms, both male and female if effectively and efficiently used are the safest ways of preventing the transmission of sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDs. In addition, condoms are highly effective in preventing unintended pregnancies.
In January 2025, the President of the USA signed the stop work order and this freezed all foreign aid and assistance that the Government of the USA was providing. Immediately, the USAID programs that were financing contraceptives including condoms in Kenya were pulled up. Condoms play an instrumental role in preventing unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDs which are two components of the Triple Threat.
According to Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF), Kenya has faced a deficit of 250 million condoms annually, with only 150 million available against an estimated need of 400 million. AHF notes that the distribution has declined and by the end of 2025, the country had only 55 million condoms distributed.
The solution to this looming disaster lies in a very aggressive and intensive budget advocacy. The solution to this disaster lies in the Government of Kenya fully implementing the Abuja Declaration of having at least 15% of the Government Budget allocated to Health whilst County Governments have to ambitiously and intentionally introduce and allocate enough resources to the Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Adolescent Health Budget lines in their County Health Budgets.
Political goodwill should ensure that county governments have contraceptives including condoms in the most important county policies such as the County Integrated Development Plans, Annual Development Plans and Sectorial Work Plans. Worth noting is the instrumental role that Family Planning Costed Implementations Plans plays in addressing the unmet need for contraceptives and hence, the county Governments should consider fully domestication as provided for in the national plan.
Jessie Mugambi Munene is a Partnerships Lead, Fit For Future Kenya and a gender, anti-FGM champion
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Kenya can manufacture condoms in order to ensure constant supply chain interruptions and sovereignty when it comes to making condoms available, safe and efficacious in terms of STD control and prevention. Most of all this will ensure we curb the spread of HIV infections especially amongst the youth who are mostly affected.
This will provide an additional firewall to LENACAPAVIR injection & tablets that are currently in the country for preventing HIV infection. Let’s look at supporting local industry because we have the necessary technical people to develop and manufacture condoms locally. This should be looked into as an urgent priority and also Kenyan’s to be sensitize about “BUY KENYA BUILD KENYA” especially if the end product is equal to imported condoms of even better. That way we will not be “Killing 2 Birds with 1 Stone” , but “Killing Multiple Birds with 1 Stone”.
Let’s be smart about this and ensure we have control of the supply & demand of Condoms because this is a serious “National Issue” that affects many Kenyan’s from all walks of life.