Caroline Kilonzi, a sex worker along Mombasa road addressing Journalists during a peaceful protest demanding the immediate restoration of HIV and STI prevention programs. Photo by Ryan Mumo. 
By Ryan Mumo
Calls for urgent government action filled the streets of Mombasa as sex workers staged a peaceful protest demanding the immediate restoration of HIV and STI prevention programs that they say have been discontinued, leaving them vulnerable and exposed.
Carrying placards with messages such as “NO HIV PREVENTION EQUALS TO NEW HIV CASES!” and “HIV PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN TREATING HIV!”, the protesters urged the Ministry of Health and the National AIDS Control Council (NACC) to strengthen HIV prevention services, including access to free condoms, PrEP, PEP, and regular testing.
Led by Caroline Kilonzi, the demonstrators decried the government’s silence over the collapse of support programs that were previously run by non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
“We have demonstrated today because our girls are suffering. They have no condoms, ARVs, or other medications,” said Kilonzi. “Many of the NGOs that used to support us have closed down, and now our people are dying silently in their houses.”
She explained that the discontinuation of these services has left many sex workers without essential protection tools, forcing some to take dangerous risks.
“The HIV rate in Mombasa Road is going higher every day. We are losing our people because we no longer have access to PrEP, PEP, or STI medication. The government must act,” she pleaded.
According to the group, many sex workers now avoid hospitals due to stigma and poor treatment from health workers.
“We are being stigmatized a lot in hospitals. We are forced to queue for services like everyone else, yet our cases are different. Sometimes when we go for family planning, we are told to take mandatory tests that we must pay for. By that time, the little money we earned the previous night has already been spent on food for our children,” one protester lamented.
The protesters called on President William Ruto’s administration to intervene and restore HIV prevention programs, insisting that prevention is cheaper and more effective than lifelong treatment.
“It is our constitutional right to access healthcare and medication. We are citizens of this country and deserve protection and respect,” Kilonzi said.
They also appealed for the return of NGOs that once offered vital health support to the sex worker community. “Even if the previous NGOs have left, the government can find new partners to help us. We just need condoms, ARVs, and basic medication to stay healthy,” said another member of the group.
As they concluded their peaceful march, the protesters chanted, “KEEP SEX WORKERS’ HEALTH SAFE,” and “SEX WORKERS’ LIVES MATTER,” vowing to continue speaking out until their voices are heard and action is taken to restore crucial HIV prevention programs.
