On the 11th of March, 2014 KELIN was privileged to have been chosen to share the Kenyan experience in legislating HIV with a Nigerian delegation of nine legislators from the senate, house of representatives and other members from National Agency for the Control of AIDS-Nigeria and Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria . The delegation was led by Hon. Dr. Joseph Haruna Kigbu, the Chairperson of the House Committee on HIV& AIDS, Malaria Control, Tuberculosis and Leprosy,. The delegation, which also met with National AIDS Control Council (NACC), National Empowerment Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya (NEPHAK), HIV Tribunal and the Parliamentary Health Committee, was interested in learning how KELIN engaged through the process that led to the enactment of the HIV & AIDS Prevention and Control Act 2006.The learning experience, which was organized by NACC and supported by UNDP, sought to share best practices regarding issues of enactment and enforcement of HIV related laws. Mr. Allan Maleche, the Executive Director of KELIN, shared with the delegation the background, roadmap and reasons for delay in enactment of the HIV & AIDS Prevention and Control Act 2006. He further emphasized the lessons Kenya learnt which may be useful when contextualized in the perspective of advocating for the enactment of the Nigerian draft bill on HIV & AIDS anti-discrimination.
There was an interactive session after the presentation which brought out issues in relation to the effectiveness of the HIV Tribunal and its relationship with the regular courts, access to HIV & TB medication in prison and access to health care services for members of key populations. The delegates were impressed about the work KELIN has been undertaking in this regard, and declared they would seek additional guidance from the KELIN team as they walk through the process of enacting their HIV law.
Click here to download the full presentation by the KELIN Executive Director
