By Tabitha Areba

Most African women don’t feel threatened when they are certain that their husbands are hanging out with fellow men. After all, no intimate relationship can develop from such a friendship.

But the rapidly evolving world has not spared morals in our African society. Men’s attraction to the opposite sex is fast waning. It is not surprising to hear statements like, ‘not all men are attracted to the opposite sex.”

This does not only apply to men in the city, or married men. Even the generation of single men has fallen into this disastrous trap. Some could be abstaining from ‘normal’ intercourse but are they safe from infection.

HIV infection in gay

According to a new survey, HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM) is three times higher than the general population and is highest among those aged between 25 to 34 years, and lowest in the 18 to 24 year olds (12.2 per cent). 

The 2010 United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) Country Progress Report also shows that an overall, HIV prevalence amongst MSM in Nairobi is 18.2 per cent, an indication that the behaviour is on the increase.

Job Akuno, Technical Advisor, Behavioral Interventions National Organisation of Peer Educators, says anal sex has higher risk of HIV infection since there is no lubrication, leading to tears that become pathways for infection.

“There seems to be higher concentration of MSMs in urban centres due to better social tolerance, opportunities for network and employability. However, it is possible that other rural areas could have these populations in closet,” says Akuno.

He says heterosexual sex within a union or regular partnership accounts for 44.1 per cent of new HIV infections across adult populations, while casual heterosexual sex accounts for an additional 20.3 per cent of new infections.

Other surveys

A previous survey done in Mombasa five years ago found 43 per cent of MSM tested positive, while another survey cited by UNAIDS estimates 15 per cent HIV prevalence among MSM throughout Kenya.

According Biological and Behavioural Surveillance for Most at-Risk Populations in Kenya 2011, nearly 40 per cent of all MSM have never been married to women and 13 per cent of all MSM are still currently married to a woman.

These statistics point at a worrying trend that could see naïve partners who still believe in traditional heterosexual relationships fall victim to infections.

This is because some homosexuals hide their sexual identity. Many homosexuals in Kenya believe they must hide their sexual orientation for fear of arrest, discrimination and rejection even from their own families.

There are, however, those who have opened up and openly speak about it. Akuno says MSM in both Nairobi (62 per cent) and Kisumu (52 per cent) identify their sexual identity as gay.

“It is very common for MSM in both Nairobi and Kisumu to report having had regular male partners. Over 90 per cent had at least one regular male partner in the past 12 months; over 60 per cent reported two or more partners in the past 12 months in both cities,” He said.

He adds that among those who had anal sex with a regular male partner in the past 30 days, about three-quarters were inconsistent condom users during.