Young people must see real action, better services and stronger protection if Kenya is to tackle the growing risks posed by HIV infections, adolescent pregnancies and sexual and gender-based violence, First Lady Rachel Ruto has said.
Speaking in Nairobi on Wednesday during the National Roundtable Forum on Ending the Triple Threat, Rachel said the three problems were closely connected to wider challenges such as poverty, gender inequality, economic insecurity and limited access to essential services and protection systems.
She said the government and its partners should now move beyond gathering views from young people and turn their concerns into practical measures that can improve their lives.
“The voices from the counties pointed us to one fundamental truth: the triple threat is driven by interconnected vulnerabilities,” she said.
Rachel said the discussions held across the counties should now result in clear government action, including policies, funding and services that young people can access and trust.
“What we had in the counties must now move from voices to policy, from recommendations to budgets, and from promises to services that young people can see, access, and trust,” she said.
Kenya has recorded a sharp drop in new HIV infections over the past decade, with figures from the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council showing an 82% decline between 2015 and 2025.
New infections fell from 77,647 in 2015 to 13,936 in 2025. Despite the progress, Rachel said young people continued to carry a large share of the HIV burden.
Those aged between 10 and 34 accounted for 72% of new adult HIV infections in 2025, while women and girls made up about 65% of all new infections.
The First Lady also raised concern over adolescent pregnancies and violence against children, citing more than 236,000 pregnancies recorded among adolescents aged 10 to 19 in 2005.
She said children and adolescents aged between 10 and 17 accounted for 38% of sexual and gender-based violence cases reported at health facilities.
Rachel called for health services to be made easier for young people to access, while ensuring that adolescents receive respectful and confidential care suited to their needs.
She said the Voice of Children Initiative had already engaged more than 220 health facilities in four counties and trained more than 200 healthcare providers on adolescent-friendly services.
Beyond healthcare, Rachel called for stronger systems to protect children from abuse and ensure that those who report mistreatment receive the necessary support and justice.
“We cannot ask children to speak about abuse and then fail them when they do,” she said.
She unveiled a time-bound call to action and urged national and county governments, development partners and the private sector to put resources behind efforts to address HIV infections, adolescent pregnancies and sexual and gender-based violence.
Rachel said future assessments should focus on the results achieved rather than the number of meetings or campaigns held.
“When we meet again, let us not count meetings or campaigns. Let us count change,” she said.