The role of donor funding in combating HIV/AIDS: a case study of Kenya.

Abstract

This study investigates the role of donor funding in the fight against HIV/ AIDS in Kenya. These was done with a view to prescribing policies that would effectively control and curb the spread of HIV/AIDS, by stopping new infections. The study comprises of the introduction, the HIV/AIDS situation In Kenya, Policy and Institutional framework, an assessment of international aid agencies and NGOs, treatment and drug access, empirical findings, summary, conclusion and recommendations. Data for the study was obtained through primary and secondary sources. The study largely depended on available literature for secondary data. The primary source of data was a survey carried out in Nairobi The study reveals that one of the causes of the rise of new infections is poverty. Another contentious issue hindering efforts to fight HIV/ AIDS is culture, which is deeply entrenched, in most African communities. This has made it very difficult for people to change their behaviour, which is necessary in putting the pandemic under control. One recommendation made in the study is for the stakeholders, led by government of Kenya to demystify HIV/ AIDS for the people and thus help break the people's belief systems. This requires the collaborative efforts of the government, NGOs, who have grass root networks and international aid agencies to provide the required funds. On policy issues, it is recommended that the government re-visit and reevaluate its policies on HIV/AIDS in order to tally them to the changing realities. The study also recommends further academic research on donor intervention in the HIV/ AIDS problem in Kenya.