By Manuel Odeny, @TheNyanzaNews
Kisii county has the highest number of female sex workers in Nyanza area according to a research in the country.
The study “Programmatic mapping and estimating the population size of FSW, MSM, PWID and transgender populations in Kenya” was published in the Gates Open Research journal.
The research found that more than 167,000 Kenyans identify as female sex workers, and about 32,000 as men who have sex with men.
The research was to analyse Key Population (KP) as those who are at high risk of being affected and infected by HIV compared to the general population.
The new count also found the country has 16,063 individuals who identify as people who inject drugs, and 10,951 transgender people.
A similar research was done in the country last in 2012.
The study was conducted by researchers from the National Aids and STI Control Programme, the Key Population Consortium of Kenya and Partners for Health and Development in Africa.
Global Health Program of the University of California San Francisco, and the Institute for Global Public Health, University of Manitoba, Canada also brought researchers.
“Comparing the size estimates of KPs from 2012, we have noticed a 26 per cent increase in the overall estimated number of Female Sex Workers (FSW) (133,675 to 167,940) and a 76 per cent increase in Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) (18,460 to 32,580), while the number of People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) has decreased from 18,327 to 16,063,” the researchers said.
The research will be key in helping stakeholders working in the health sector because HIV prevalence is high with 18.9 per cent PWID, 29.5 per cent of FSW and 18.2 per cent of MSM being HIV positive.
The study, conducted between January and March 2018, covered 34 counties including all six Nyanza regional counties of Siaya, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Migori, Kisii and Nyamira.
The researchers said they employed a mixed-methods approach. First documenting all known venues where these key populations congregate and then validating these locations to confirm their activity.
Additionally, the study found a substantial proportion of underage children in the key population.
“Eighteen counties collectively accounted for 80 per cent of all FSWs, while eight counties accounted for 80 per cent of MSM,” the study revealed.
Here is how Nyanza counties are ranking with the number of female sex workers (FSW)
- Kisii 6,538
- Kisumu 5,151
- Migori 4,709
- Siaya 4,027
- Homa Bay 3,783
- Nyamira 1,999
