US aid cuts close Kenyan HIV clinics for sex workers, triggering 24+ deaths and infection surge

US aid cuts under the Trump administration forced closure of HIV prevention clinics serving Kenya's sex workers, causing at least 24 confirmed AIDS-related deaths since early 2025, including Judy, 36, buried in Nairobi's Langata Cemetery on September 8, 2026. Frontline health staff report the real death toll is likely far higher, with NGOs documenting a 48% rise in new HIV infections among sex workers in the first half of 2026 compared to 2024. Kenya had 285,000 women engaged in sex work nationwide, with a staggering 27.5% HIV prevalence rate—meaning over 78,000 were previously accessing life-saving antiretrovirals, condoms, and peer support through now-closed USAID-funded programs like BHESP and SWOP. Clinics shut despite extreme vulnerability: sex workers often earn just 50-100 Kenyan shillings (40-80 cents) per encounter and face intense stigma in public hospitals. BHESP nurse Sharon Lagat warns patients now present with advanced conditions, increasing community transmission: 'They come for treatment late... the virus will reach our homes.' Experts fear this reversal could spark a 'catastrophic' HIV surge in Kenya's general population after years of progress (new infections dropped from 110,000 in 2005 to 13,936 in 2025). With the government only able to budget for 200 million of the 500 million condoms needed annually, and half of SWOP's 45,000-monitored clinics closed, the crisis highlights aid dependence risks. For West Africa, where similar donor shifts threaten HIV programs, this underscores the need for resilient local health funding and stigma reduction to prevent preventable deaths.

SOURCE: https://www.channelstv.com/2026/09/18/how-us-aid-cuts-are-killing-kenyan-sex-workers/