Campaigning for Universal Access in Kenya
By Elizaphan Ogechi, Kenya AIDS NGOs Consortium (KANCO) and Felicita Hikuam, WAC Support Team
“This is an important opportunity to plan ahead and not only be reactive. This meeting should help us think ahead to avoid people running around on 25th November looking for resources [for World AIDS day activities]. And it also gives us an opportunity to develop a framework of how to get organised for key moments such as 1 December for years to come,” said Allan Raggi, Director of the Kenya AIDS NGOs Consortium (KANCO) as he opened the Kenya National Campaigners meeting held in Nairobi from 21st to 23rd August, 2007.
The 2 ½ day meeting, co-convened by WAC and KANCO, brought together participants from the constituencies of people living with HIV/AIDS, non-governmental organizations, youth groups, women’s groups, labour unions, faith groups and the media. The meeting also brought together the biggest civil society networks working on HIV/AIDS in Kenya, which are: the National Empowerment Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya (NEPHAK), Kenya Consortium to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (KECOFATUMA), and KANCO, who are all members of the United Civil Society Coalition on AIDS, TB & Malaria (UCC-ATM).
As an outcome of the meeting, a plan of campaigning activities on universal access were drawn up, including joint actions and messages, particularly for World AIDS Day and other campaigning opportunities, within the 2007/ 2008 global theme of “Leadership”.
“Leadership” in an election year
An election year in Kenya presents an opportunity for civil society to engage meaningfully on universal access demands with their political leadership. Participants agreed that not only is information lacking amongst civil society, but it often presents a challenge for policymakers who are not well-informed. “The key words for this meeting are leaders and access. Are they informed? Our policy makers just do not know. They don’t read, but they sign. When shall our policy makers realize that they are blocking universal access by signing these agreements without being informed?” queried Dr. Kibe.
In particular he added that Kenyan policymakers need to be informed on interlectual property rights, which affect access to treatment. “It is in a meeting like this one that a resolution should be passed to seek for funding and plan for activities that will be used to educate leaders including policy developers and politicians on intellectual properties,” he said.
With electins set to take place 2 weeks after World AIDS Day, participants chose to adapt a poster, which reflects a ballot box to push the universal access agenda in Kenya, The message on the poster will read: Take the Lead: “Universal Access to HIV and AIDS Prevention, Treatment, Care and Support Demands committed leadership. Leadership begins with you and me.”
Major activities scheduled to be implemented jointly by the civil society partners include community mobilization and sensitization through the media in all vernacular languages in the build up to 1 December. Additionally, participants agreed to engage the Kenyan Long-distance Truck Drivers Association in a procession of trucks traveling from remote areas of Kenya to a central venue in Nairobi, where civil society will host a visibility action.
Information is essential for campaigning
The participants recognized information dissemination as a great challenge for evidence-based campaigning on universal access in Kenya. “If you are not informed you cannot make any difference. If we know these targets, we must ask based on what? If we know they are based on the National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan, then you can demand them to keep to this promise,” said Dr. Kichari.
Brigitte Kitenge, who represented KECOFATUMA added: “Crucially, information needs to reach our people. Information they understand through simple means such as FM stations.”
“We need to develop a framework to hold government accountable. But to demand accountability, we need to be informed,” added Raggi.
Existing tools for information sharing were presented by KECOFATUMA and KANCO. The AIDS-Portal and an E-magazine were described as including innovative and new technologies such as bulk text messaging systems and digital story telling, which may be highly effective for campaigning.
Universal Access is not only about treatment
The meeting also aimed to bridge the knowledge gap existing in Kenyan civil society on universal access by providing information on the status of universal access in Kenya to form the basis for informed messaging.
“Somewhere I have heard that universal access is about treatment. If you talk to someone, to them universal access means access to treatment. Even those of us working on nutrition and TB/HIV co-infection, it’s all about universal access, which is an attempt to bring all these issues together,” said Raggi.
“The affected communities do not know [the concept of] universal access or the UNGASS [Declaration of Commitment]. Not many of us, even here in this room today, know universal access well. What about the villagers and communities? We have a challenge of letting others know,” added Joe Muriuki, of the Coalition of HIV Infected and Affected Community Service Organisations in Kenya (CHIACSOK).
While closing the forum, the guest speaker, Hon. Dr. Hezron Manduku, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Health, called for wider focus on universal access, not only to treatment but also to prevention, care and support.
“Achieving universal access requires focus on poverty-related issues and injustices. This calls for us to pay attention to more than just medicines. Other essential aspects, crucial in our country, are adequate and accessible quality primary health care including voluntary testing and counseling; income, food, water and sanitation security; and sexual and reproductive health rights,” said Hon. Manduku.
The marginalization of some groups in the Kenyan AIDS response resonated with many of the participants.
“Why should we put some Kenyans aside to wait for their time to access treatment? Everybody who needs services, should be able to get them,” stated Dr. Tobias Kichari, Chairman of UCC-ATM.
Joe Muruiki added: “Despite beautiful successes we have had on one side, on the other side, for every one person there are 5 women infected. In addition, men who have sex with men and sex workers are side-lined. Are they not Kenyans? Are they not becoming infected? We have to address these inequalities and injustices.”
“The emphasis of universal access is on national ownership – this is where we need to work as a group at the national level. Even if we work in different ways, we need to be speaking out on similar issues,” added Raggi.
