NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya is facing a deepening public health crisis following a major funding withdrawal by the United States Agency for International Development, triggering a nationwide shortage of condoms and raising alarm over a potential surge in HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
For more than two decades, Kenya’s free condom programme relied heavily on donor support, with the United States government financing procurement and distribution. That support abruptly ended in January 2025 after US President Donald Trump signed a stop-work order freezing foreign assistance, effectively halting USAID-backed supply chains.
Health officials and advocacy groups say the impact is already being felt across hospitals, clinics and informal distribution points, with the shortage hitting women, young people and sex workers hardest. International Condom Day on February 13 passed without the usual nationwide distribution drives, while some high-risk areas reported stock levels that could last only a few months.
Data from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation Kenya shows a worrying trend. Between July 2025 and January 2026, the organisation recorded 840 cases of sexually transmitted infections among 5,000 people screened in Nairobi clinics, including syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia. About 90pc of those presenting symptoms tested positive.
“PrEP doesn’t prevent syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhoea, but condoms do,” said Calsine Onditi of AHF Kenya, warning that prevention efforts risk collapsing without consistent supply.
Kenya’s annual demand for condoms stands at about 400 million units, yet government distribution accounts for only half that figure. The remaining 200 million units had historically been supplied by donors, primarily USAID. With that pipeline cut, the country now faces an annual deficit estimated at over 250 million condoms.
The financial gap is equally stark. The national condom programme requires approximately Sh1.118 billion annually, but current funding leaves a shortfall of more than Sh800 million, according to health sector estimates.
The shortage is also driving up prices, placing further strain on vulnerable populations. A pack of three condoms that cost around Sh150 three years ago now retails at up to Sh600 in some areas. For low-income users, including sex workers, the cost has become prohibitive.
“There has been an increase in STIs worldwide. Without an immediate course correction, HIV will soon follow,” said Terri Ford, chief of global advocacy and policy at AHF.
Public health experts warn that Kenya risks reversing decades of progress made since the launch of its free condom programme in 2001, which played a key role in reducing HIV transmission rates.
The funding cut is part of a broader shift in US policy. The proposed 2027 budget by the US Department of Health and Human Services includes a $4.3 billion reduction in global health spending and explicitly states that the US will no longer fund condom provision in Kenya.
The policy prioritises domestic health investments under the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda and shifts some HIV programmes toward government-to-government funding models.
While US officials argue the previous system was inefficient—claiming only 40 per cent of funds reached direct service delivery—Kenyan health stakeholders say the immediate consequence has been a dangerous supply gap.
The crisis has exposed structural weaknesses in Kenya’s health financing model, which has long depended on external donors for essential commodities.
Experts now warn that without urgent government intervention, including increased domestic funding and policy reforms, the country could face a resurgence in HIV infections and a sustained rise in other sexually transmitted diseases.
“Condoms still work. We have the proven formula to stop HIV,” Ford said. “The continued spread of infections is not a failure of science; it is a failure of leadership and commitment.”
