NAIROBI, Kenya – A revolutionary HIV prevention drug offering protection for six months with just two injections a year will be available in Kenya from January 2026.
But despite its promise, experts warn that the high cost of the treatment could create a new frontier of inequality in HIV care.
The drug, Lenacapavir, was endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in July 2025 as part of a broader HIV prevention package that includes condoms and oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
It is being hailed globally as a potential game-changer—particularly for people who struggle to adhere to daily PrEP pills.
In Kenya, Dr Andrew Mulwa, head of the National AIDS and STI Control Programme (NASCOP), confirmed in an interview with NTV Kenya that Lenacapavir will retail at approximately Sh6,000 per dose.
Each dose is effective for six months, targeting those at high risk of HIV infection.
“This is a major breakthrough in the fight against HIV,” said Dr Mulwa. “It’s especially useful for people who find it difficult to take daily pills. But it’s important to note that Lenacapavir doesn’t protect against other sexually transmitted infections.”
Kenya is among nine African countries selected for the pilot rollout of the injectable, supported by the Global Fund, UNAIDS, and Tiko Africa.
Initial distribution will focus on adolescent girls and young women—groups that remain disproportionately affected by the epidemic.
Innovation Meets Inequality
Still, the excitement surrounding Lenacapavir comes with a caveat: cost. While the government offers daily oral PrEP for free in most public health facilities, the Sh6,000 price tag per Lenacapavir injection risks creating a two-tiered system—one for the privileged, and one for everyone else.
This isn’t the first time affordability has cast a shadow over a medical breakthrough.
Kenya has long battled the grim intersection of poverty and HIV outcomes.
A landmark 2015 study published in BMC Public Health tracked 312 HIV-positive adults in Nairobi not yet eligible for treatment.
It found that those earning less than Sh129 a day were 4.6 times more likely to experience disease progression than those earning five dollars or more, even after accounting for medical differences.
The reason? Poverty doesn’t just limit access to drugs—it constrains access to food, transport, and care continuity.
In Nyeri County, a 2021 study found that over 60% of low-income patients on ART had interrupted treatment for at least three months, citing economic hardship.
A 2018 report in the Journal of the International AIDS Society found poverty was the strongest barrier to ART coverage across Kenya’s 47 counties, with access gaps of up to 40 percentage points between the richest and poorest regions.
While Lenacapavir opens a new chapter in the fight against HIV, its impact in Kenya may hinge less on scientific innovation and more on political will and health equity. For many advocates, the question isn’t whether Lenacapavir works—it’s who will get it.
To avoid repeating past mistakes, stakeholders are urging the government and global donors to subsidise or fully cover the cost of the injection for vulnerable populations.
Otherwise, critics say, this could become yet another example of medical progress leaving the poorest behind.
