Rapid situational assessment of people who inject drugs (PWID) in Nairobi and coastal regions of Kenya: a respondent driven sampling survey.

Compared to the national HIV prevalence of (4.9%), the results show that People Who Inject Drugs (PWIDs) are at particularly high risk of infection in Kenya and there is urgent need for intervention (KenPHIA, 2018). This study also showed clear evidence that 70% of PWIDs are primary school educated, engage in high risk injecting and sexual behaviors comprising sharing of injecting equipment, unprotected heterosexual and homosexual sex. Given that initiation of injecting drug use begins early and peaks after formal school years (20-29 years), prevention programmes should be targeted at primary and secondary school students, college and out of school youth. Further, to protect People who inject drugs (PWIDs) from HIV infection, the country should introduce free Needle Syringe Programs (NSP) with provision of condoms and Methadone Assisted Therapy (MAT) as a substitute for drug use.