by . philes isaboke
HIV-positive sex workers in Kenya have died after being cut off from life-saving medication following drastic cuts to US foreign aid, an investigation by Agence France-Presse (AFP) has confirmed.
The women, who were previously healthy and on regular antiretroviral treatment, lost access to care when their dedicated clinics closed in early 2025 after US funding was withdrawn. Health workers on the ground confirmed the deaths to AFP, warning the number could rise.
For years, Kenya operated dozens of specialized, peer-led clinics that provided HIV treatment, condoms, testing, and counseling specifically for sex workers, a key population at high risk of infection. Most of those clinics have now shut down.
A July 2026 report by the Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR) documented the scale of the disruption, finding that 73% of US-funded organizations serving key populations had been forced to end or severely reduce services. The report linked the closures directly to the US aid cuts announced in January 2025.
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has raised the alarm. Executive Director Winnie Byanyima described the situation as “the most serious disruption in the HIV response since the world came together to fight this disease.”
Public health experts warn that interrupting antiretroviral therapy not only endangers individual patients but risks increased transmission and drug resistance. Frontline workers in Nairobi report patients returning to sex work without condoms or medication, unable to afford private care.
The Ministry of Health has not yet commented on plans to fill the funding gap.
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