root cause revise

25/1/2022

1

Root Cause Diagram

Key

Disease

Risk factors

Determinants of risk factor

Determinants of determinants

School dropout

Lack of sex education

Early marriage

Communism

High illiteracy level

Wife inheritance

uncircumcised

Prostitution

Illegalization policy

Education

Age

Culture

Unprotected Sex

Poverty

FGM

Sharing of personal effects

HIV/AIDs in Kenya

Introduction

Kenya is a country that is located on the eastern side of Africa. According to the recent census results conducted in 2019, the country has approximately 50milion people (KNBS, 2020). The country is one of the diverse countries in east Africa where more than 40 languages are spoken, notwithstanding Kiswahili and English is the official language. Despite the country's diversity and natural beauty, HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death. The risk factors of HIV/AIDs in Kenya include having unprotected sex, sharing personal effects, and age.

Justification

According to the National Aids Control Council, the number of new HIV infections in 2021 alone increased by 30 027, while the recorded deaths were 19,486 (NACC, 2021). The national government and international organizations such as USAID and UKAID have invested in reducing the spread of the disease, but it has had minimal impact, especially in the western part of Kenya, where the disease has continued to spread. While the disease affects those infected, the immediate family members and friends suffer immense psychological torture when their loved ones are infected or have perished from HIV/ADS. The Kenyan government health resources also become overstretched as most of the resources that could have been used to improve the standards of living and livelihoods of people are diverted to curbing the effects of HIV/AIDS.

Having Unprotected Sex

Kenyan culture has exposed many people to having unprotected sex. According to KNBS (2020), the country has more than 44 tribes grouped into different categories. Each tribe has its practices that often risk spreading the disease. Ayikukwei et al. (2008) illustrate that HIV is more common in the western part of Kenya and rift valley where communities still practice traditional practices that expose them to unprotected sex. For instance, the men from the Luo tribe were not circumcised. However, Golub et al. (2016) research illustrates that male circumcision can prevent up to 60 % of getting infected. Additionally, wife inheritance is common among the Luo community, where people inherit the wives of their deceased relatives. In rural areas, the number of early marriages continues to thrive as most communities require that young girls get married as soon as they reach their teens. As a result, young girls are married as second and third wives to older men and thus exposed them to early unprotected sexual activities. However, in urban setups, such as Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, and Kisumu, the culture of prostitution has continued to increase despite prostitution being banned in the country (Bhattacharjee et al., 2019).

Sharing of Personal Effects

Poverty promotes sharing of personal effects, leading to the spread of HIV/AIDS. According to the statistics released by the World Bank, the number of people living below the poverty level in Kenya accounts for 36.1% of the total population (World Bank, 2018). Additionally, Kenya being a low middle-income country with a low employment rate, many people live below one dollar per day; hence, they cannot afford some of the personal effects. As a result, people practice communism where they share personal effects such as syringes, razor blades, and other piercing tools. Additionally, in the rift valley and the central provinces, female genital mutilation (FGM) is still widely practiced even though it is considered illegal by the government. Noah (2019) illustrates that due to the illegality of FGM, women who engage in the practice share the tools used in the mutilation of the genital parts. As a result, those who undergo circumcision are exposed to HIV/AIDS.

AGE

Age is another risk factor that helps spread HIV/AIDS. According to Noah (2016), the number of people infected with the disease is high among young people between 15 to 49 years. NACC (2022) asserts that the lack of education causes the spread of HIV among young people in Kenya. Despite the government offering free primary education in Kenya, the number of illiterate people is still high. The high illiteracy levels is caused by school dropout in the country. According to a UNICEF report released in 2021, Kenay has experienced high levels of school dropout in recent years (UNICEF, 2021). Moreover, sex education is not offered to young people as the locals consider the topic taboo. As a result, there is minimal knowledge of safe sex offered to young people. Therefore, illiteracy levels and lack of exposure to sex education make young people vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.

Conclusion

In conclusion, despite the government and international governments putting measures to curb the spread of HIV/ AIDS in Kenya, it is unfortunate that it is still the leading killer of diseases. Numerous resources have been invested in tackling the disease, thus depriving other sectors of receiving development as they are insufficiently funded since more resources are diverted. Engaging in unprotected sex, sharing of personal effects, and age are risk factors of HIV prevalence in Kenya.

References

Ayikukwei, R., Ngare, D., Sidle, J., Ayuku, D., Baliddawa, J., & Greene, J. (2008). HIV/AIDS and cultural practices in western Kenya: the impact of sexual cleansing rituals on sexual behaviors. Culture, health & sexuality, 10(6), 587-599.

Bhattacharjee, P., Musyoki, H. K., Becker, M., Musimbi, J., Kaosa, S., Kioko, J., ... & Blanchard, J. F. (2019). HIV prevention programme cascades: insights from HIV programme monitoring for female sex workers in Kenya. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 22, e25311.