Condom conundrum: Kenya's dangerous gamble with HIV

Kenya requires an estimated 400 million condoms annually to keep the HIV epidemic in check. [Courtesy]

For a country battling a high HIV prevalence rate, Kenya's decision to tax condoms is nothing short of a public health catastrophe.

This bureaucratic folly, wrapped in misguided fiscal policy, threatens to unravel decades of progress in the fight against HIV/Aids. At a time when every weapon in the arsenal is needed to contain the virus, the government's insistence on making condoms less accessible is akin to banning fire extinguishers in a city prone to infernos.