Maralal: Sports and public health took centre stage this week as over 4,500 youths from across Samburu County converged at Kenyatta Stadium in Maralal town for the third edition of the governor’s cup tournament. Seizing the opportunity, the National Syndemic Disease Control Council (NDCC), in collaboration with the Samburu County health department, launched a seven-day ‘End Triple Threat’ campaign targeting the assembled youth who are participating in football, volleyball, basketball, and darts.
According to Kenya News Agency, Wario Boru from NDCC noted that Samburu County is grappling with the triple threat, which is the interconnected crisis of new HIV infections, teenage pregnancies, and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) primarily targeting adolescents and young people. Boru highlighted the rising cases of new HIV infections and the county’s significant burden of teenage pregnancies, which stands at 50 percent, as reported by the Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2024.
Boru emphasized that 40 percent of new HIV infections in Samburu County occur among youth aged 15 to 24 years. He stated, “We have taken advantage of the tournament to sensitise the youth in a bid to curb new infections, encourage the reporting of SGBV cases, and end teenage pregnancies.” He also pointed out that Samburu is classified as a low-burden county with an HIV prevalence of 1.6 percent, translating to 3,755 people living with HIV, a considerable number given the county’s low population.
Throughout the week, NDCC and county health teams are conducting advocacy campaigns and offering integrated health services via mobile clinics at the tournament venues. Services include HIV, tuberculosis, and cervical cancer testing, as well as preventive measures such as providing condoms and PrEP.
John Letiwa, a community health worker, identified several major drivers of new HIV infections in Samburu County, including unprotected sex with multiple partners, high illiteracy levels, and drug and substance abuse. He further noted that cultural practices, such as marrying off girls at 12 years, expose them to child pregnancies, STDs, and sexual gender-based violence.
The governor’s cup has presented a unique opportunity to reach thousands of youths in one location within the sparsely populated county. The ‘End Triple Threat’ campaign is a national initiative aiming to eliminate new HIV infections, teenage pregnancies, and SGBV among adolescents and young people by 2027, with the Samburu outreach concluding with the tournament finals on Sunday.
