30/11/2025
https://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za/items/406e9e4f-be24-45b9-b406-9254596bd8bb
Nairobi has officially recorded the highest number of new HIV infections in Kenya and the most affected group is youth aged 15–34.
This headline shocked many, but unfortunately, it aligns with what I discovered in my PhD research on how young people construct HIV risk and how that shapes their testing behavior.
What I found was this:
• Young people know HIV is a major threat yet many don’t see themselves personally at risk.
• “Risk” is often blamed on others: unfaithful partners, strangers, or external situations.
• HIV testing is still associated with shame, stigma, or the idea that “people will think I did something wrong.”
• Many youth only test when there is a crisis after symptoms, after unprotected s*x, or after suspecting a partner.
When testing is avoided because it is tied to identity and stigma, infections continue silently.
People get diagnosed late.
And that contributes directly to the rise in AIDS-related deaths Kenya is now seeing.
If we want to change the trend, we must change the conversation.
We need to:
✔ Normalize HIV testing as routine health care
✔ Remove shame and judgment
✔ Create youth-friendly, confidential, stigma-free testing spaces
✔ Use messaging that speaks to how young people understand risk and identity not just biomedical facts
HIV prevention must go beyond awareness campaigns. It must address the social meanings of risk, fear, stigma, and identity.
Only then can Nairobi and Kenya bend the curve again.
https://www.facebook.com/share/1ADmw82H9C/
The dominant discourses related to HIV and AIDS in South Africa still construct HIV as a huge threat, and position s*xually active youth between the ages of 15-24 years as at risk of, and living with, HIV. While an effort to manage HIV infection through practising safer s*x is relevant to mitigate s...
