HIV/AIDS in Kenya and Uganda: A Comparative Analysis

AIDS was identitied 111 the two countries during a time when the advocacy for structural adjustments by the World Bank and IMF was at its peale This challenged the capacity of governments to provide adequate health care to its citizens. The way the two countries organized to put up a fight against the pandemic in the face of reduced government role in social provisioning shows some differences. It brings to the fore the how strong coordination of all other actors, who became increasingly important, determines the achievement of the set goals. Despite the shift of many services from government to other sectors, such as the civil society and the private sector, the lead role of the government as a coordinator and supervisor remains quiet important. Major differences have been identified in the way the policy environment has been managed. Although striking similarities are evident, a political disengagement characterizes majority of the actions towards I-IIV and AIDS in Kenya and consequently leads to lack of coherent coordination of the activities from the various actors. However, gaps are still evident in both countries in terms of scaling up services to reach the majority of the population in need. Important services such as VeTs, ARV drugs provision and blood safety still need to be scaled up.