First Lady Margaret Kenyatta to grace International NOPE Aids Conference

The First Lady Margaret Kenyatta is set to open the seventh International conference on peer education, HIV and Aids next week.

Mrs Kenyatta will address hundreds of delegates converging at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on Wednesday June 15 on ways to combat the spread of a scourge that has affected many a household in Kenya.

"The goal of the conference is to rally and provoke local, national and international stakeholders to identify, adopt and sustain bold steps that will contribute to the attainment of Zero AIDS," said Philip Waweru the CEO of the National Organisation of Peer Educators (NOPE) that has hosted the biennial conference for the last 14 years.

He said the presence of the First Lady is another sign that the problem of HIV and Aids has continued to receive the critical attention from the very highest of the office of the land.

“I can now confirm that the First Lady Hon. Margaret Kenyatta will perform the official opening of the 7th International Conference on Peer Education, HIV and AIDS at KICC on June 15th 2016 from 9.30 a.m.,” he announced.

The conference will have presentations on interventions on sexual behavior affecting HIV and Aids prevalence, capacity building of health workers, and networking of organisations working around HIV and Aids as well as health funding.

According to H.E Margaret Kenyatta's Beyond Zero Campaign, Kenya continues to make slow progression despite its commitment to maternal health care.

With a maternal mortality rate of 488 deaths per 100,000 live births, the country is off track in achieving the UN Millennium Development Goal numbers four and five by 2015.

Toward an intervention to achieve this, she's been on the forefront to raise funds including through her First Lady Half Marathon.

The week-long event will see Peer Educators, HIV and Aids program coordinators, program managers, experts, researchers, academic institutions and Government officials involved in Aids work share experiences and notes.

"It will be a moment to reflect on what works and what do not and see the way forward with best practices," says Senior Programme Manager and one of the officers organising the conference Peter Onyancha.

According to the latest Kenya Aids Indicator Survey (KAIS), even though awareness of AIDS is universal in Kenya, only 56 percent of women and 66 percent of men have comprehensive knowledge Aids prevention and transmission.

That is, they know that both condom use and limiting sexual intercourse to one uninfected partner can prevent HIV, they are aware that a healthy-looking person can have HIV.

Mr Waweru announced that NOPE has sponsorship for a couple of slots for young people who will be selected and sponsored to attend the conference themed, Towards Zero: The Bold Steps.

Local and international music celebrities have been lined up to perform at a youth themed event to mobilised the most vulnerable populations toward zero prevalence of HIV and Aids.

Also present will be Dr. Nicholas Muraguri the Health Principal Secretary and Dr. Nduku Kilonzo, the Director, National AIDS Control Council (NACC).

The second day of the conference will focus on adolescents and young people under the theme ‘Healthy and Innovative Youth for a Better Future’.

The chief guest at the adolescents and youth forum will be the ICT Cabinet Secretary Hon. Joe Mucheru who will present a keynote address entitled, ‘The Place of ICT in Enhancing Entrepreneurship and Employment for Young People’.

Also present will be Mr. Ezekiel Mutua, CEO Kenya Film Classification Board, speaking on ‘The Role of Classification in Shaping Moral Values among Young People’.

Finally, the Governor for Turkana County H.E. Hon. Josphat Nanok will be the Chief Guest at the Closing Ceremony, accompanied by Dr. Eliud Mwangi, Country Director, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF).

Also gracing the event will be UNAIDS Country Coordinator Dr. Jantine Jacobi and TASO Uganda Founder and Patron Noerine Kaleeba among others.