Powell has candid talk about AIDS with Kenyans

NAIROBI, Kenya – Promiscuity and other risky sexual behavior must change to stop the spread of AIDS in Africa, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Saturday.

Young Kenyans, including an 11-year-old girl, had a frank discussion with Powell about promiscuity, resistance to condoms and the cultural expectation that young girls have sex with much older men.

“Those sorts of patterns of behavior have to change to protect young people,” Powell told the gathering.

Powell is in Africa to attend a signing ceremony ending north-south fighting in Sudan. The two-decade-old conflict is Africa’s longest-running civil war. Powell met with Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki after the AIDS round-table Saturday.

The Sudanese peace accord does not address the more recent fighting and refugee crisis in Sudan’s western Darfur region, which Powell has called genocide. He planned to press Sudanese government leaders to resolve the Darfur crisis during the weekend meetings.

About 7 percent of adult Kenyans are infected with HIV or have AIDS, a rate much higher than western nations but lower than some countries in southern Africa where 20 percent or more of the population is infected.

“Africa I think for too long a period of time ignored the problem, looked the other way and said ‘no, this isn’t happening here,’” Powell said.

He criticized African countries, without naming them, that denied AIDS was a problem. Powell also noted former South African President Nelson Mandela’s disclosure this week that his son died of complications from AIDS.

“More and more people are willing to speak out about this and not hide,” Powell said.

AIDS kills more than 600 people every day in South Africa. Mandela’s successor, Thabo Mbeki, once denied knowing anyone who had died of the disease.

Powell sat in a circle with 19 Kenyans, most in their teens and 20s, who work to prevent HIV transmission among their peers. The discussion included blunt discussion of sexual and cultural practices, including what 24-year-old Boniface Mwendwa described as social pressure for young women to have sex with “people we call sugar daddies.”

Older men are much more likely than young girls or women to carry the disease, and older men-to-younger-women is a major source of transmission in Kenya and elsewhere.

“Are you getting through to the young people, or do you say you’re square?” Powell asked.

Reception is better now than it used to be, Powell was told. Abstinence, faithfulness to a single partner and condom use are discussed much more openly than a few years ago, and more Kenyans are open about their HIV status. At least one of the young women who spoke to Powell on Saturday is HIV positive.

The anti-AIDS message starts early. Eleven-year-old Grace Gathoni is a member of the Brownie patrol at her elementary school. She came to the meeting dressed in her uniform.

“We learn about HIV and AIDS, and sexually transmitted diseases,” at school, she said. “We are also taught to value our virginity, our education and our life.”

Before arriving in Nairobi on Friday, Powell spent five days touring countries hit by last month’s killer tsunami. He said he will give President Bush a report Monday on the tsunami damage and U.S. aid to the region.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Hundreds rally against Trump on Presidents Day in Everett

People lined Broadway with signs and flags, similar to other protests across the country

Alina Langbehn, 6, center, and Vera A., 6, right, sit on a swing together at Drew Nielsen Neighborhood Park after school on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council votes to renovate Drew Nielsen Park

Construction on the $345,000 upgrade could start as early as this fall.

Northshore School District bus driver Stewart O’Leary pictured next to his buses shattered drivers side windshield on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Put me in, coach’: Bus driver back at work after struck by metal bar

Stewart O’Leary, a Northshore employee, has received national attention for his composure during a frightening bus trip.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

Lynnwood councilor Joshua Binda speaks during a Lynnwood City Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Does the Lynnwood Council VP live in Lynnwood? It’s hard to say.

Josh Binda’s residency has been called into question following an eviction and FEC filings listing an Everett address. He insists he lives in Lynnwood.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

An American Robin picks a berry from a holly tree on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Calling all birders for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count

The Audubon Society will hold its 28th annual Great Backyard… Continue reading

A view of one of the potential locations of the new Aquasox stadium on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. The site sits between Hewitt Avenue, Broadway, Pacific Avenue and the railroad. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Initial prep work for AquaSox stadium to start, with $200k price tag

The temporary agreement allows some surveying and design work as the city negotiates contracts with designers and builders.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.