Kenya has recorded a milestone in the fight against HIV after Samson Mutua, a 27-year-old delivery rider from Kawangware, became the first Kenyan to receive the long-acting HIV prevention injection, Lenacapavir.
Mutua received two injections in the lower abdomen at Riruta Health Centre in Kawangware at 8am, in a procedure witnessed by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale. Immediately after the injection, he took two oral PrEP tablets to guarantee protection from day one. He will take two more tablets the following day, after which he will not require daily pills for the next six months.
The new injection provides protection against HIV for six months before the next dose is administered, in line with clinical guidelines guiding the national rollout.
Speaking after receiving the injection, Mutua admitted he was anxious but optimistic. He said volunteering for the breakthrough intervention was a personal decision shaped by years of HIV prevention counselling and daily PrEP use.
“My whole journey started in 2017 when I could not donate blood due to risky behaviour. That experience made me reflect and take prevention seriously,” he said.
Mutua, who works part-time as a delivery rider and as a community health promoter in Dagoreti South, said he is using his platform to educate young people about the new prevention option. He emphasised that the injection does not replace other protective measures.
“This is added protection. It does not mean you stop using other methods because there are still other diseases out there,” he said.
The first phase of Kenya’s Lenacapavir rollout is supported by 21,000 starter doses targeting priority counties with high HIV burden, including Nairobi, Kiambu, Mombasa, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Migori and others.
The rollout forms part of the Ministry of Health’s broader strategy to reduce new HIV infections to zero by 2030 through expanded prevention options.
