HIV and AIDS remains among the greatest public health concernsnot only for Mombasa County but also in Kenya. The epidemic hascontinued to cause deaths and suffering among residents, tearingthe social and community fabric and decimating the workforce. Its effectsare experienced in the entire spectrum of our County. HIV and AIDS is amongthe leading causes of deaths in Mombasa County. Mombasa County hasreduced the HIV prevalence from 11.1% (KAIS 2012) to the current estimated7.4% in 2014. This has been through scaling up of HIV prevention education,provision of HIV testing services and also ensured adult treatment coverageof over 60% for those in need of ARVs in accordance with the new treatmentguidelines by the World Health Organization (WHO).More work still needs to be done. The County HIV prevalence currently stands at 7.4%. This is higher thanthe national prevalence of 6%. With annual new infections of 1,609 persons, Mombasa is among the topcounties burdened by HIV. We have a Constitutional obligation of attending to and ensuring that the54,600 people living with HIV are granted quality care, treatment and support. Furthermore, we must scaleup paediatric treatment and ensure that the current HIV incidence is reduced. There are children orphanedby HIV and households ravaged by AIDS that we must put into the county social safety nets. Persons livingwith HIV should also be given a higher priority within our county set-up.Mombasa County HIV epidemic brings forth varying dynamics in respect of the modes of transmission andpopulation demographics. The Countys HIV trends exhibit both characteristics of general and concentratedepidemic. Identified groups of key and priority populations continue to be vulnerable to acquisition andtransmission of HIV. This strategic plan underscores the need to address health service delivery amongst thevarious populations with emphasis towards reversing the annual incidence. MCASP 2016 2020 envisagesstrong leadership based on the principle of participation, involvement and multi-sectorality. It providesguidance on how the County will scale up interventions which are geared towards achieving the Countysset objectives, in line with Kenyas development blue-print, Kenya Vision 2030.We, as the County Government of Mombasa therefore reiterate our commitment to the implementation ofall provisions of the Mombasa County HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan (MCASP 2016 2020) and also urge allactors in this field including the Development Partners in Mombasa County to align their HIV programmingand funding to the Plan.

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