New Strategy Aims to Eliminate Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission

The Kenyan government has launched a bold, integrated strategy to eliminate mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B by 2027. As part of its Kenya Plan to End AIDS in Children, health leaders say this approach builds on a four‑point action plan backed by the Ministry of Health, NASCOP, the Global Fund, and other partners.
A key feature of the new strategy is the scaling up of the Kenya Mentor Mother Program (KMMP), which recruits and trains HIV-positive women ( mentor mothers ) to support pregnant and breastfeeding mothers living with HIV. These mentor mothers offer peer counselling, psychosocial support, treatment adherence guidance, and help track mother–baby pairs through the entire prevention cascade.
Additionally, Kenya is operationalising a new HIV Prevention Operational Plan (2025–2026), which strengthens its prevention portfolio with updated tools like long‑acting injectables and tailored interventions for vulnerable populations. This plan backs up the MTCT elimination strategy by reinforcing prevention and care services across the continuum.
To align with global standards, Kenya’s strategy is also drawing on the WHO Triple Elimination Framework, which integrates the prevention of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B transmission in pregnant women. Kenya has already established a multi-stakeholder technical working group and is decentralising program oversight to counties to improve implementation and accountability.