Archival Sense
JF-Expert Member
- Dec 16, 2025
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The figure translates to about 844 new infections every month, or 11,241 over the 12-month period between July 2025 and June 2026.
The findings were presented during the 2026 Kampala HIV/TB Stakeholders’ Meeting following a study by the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), which reviewed HIV testing data for 649,570 people across health facilities in the city.
According to the study, the figures represent an average of about 30 newly diagnosed HIV infections every day among the people tested during the period.
The new positive HIV test results recorded were among 649,570 people who were tested at the health facilities covered by the study.
The findings nevertheless point to continued HIV transmission in the city and have raised questions about whether existing prevention efforts are adequately addressing emerging risk factors.
Presenting the findings, Dr Douglas Tuhumwire, KCCA’s Care and Treatment Lead, said the increase is suspected to be associated with several factors, including unregulated sexual activity in massage parlours, spas and lodges, domestic violence, structural inequalities and exposure influenced by digital and social media.
He cautioned, however, that these factors require further investigation before they can conclusively be identified as the causes of the increase.
The study also found differences in testing and infection patterns between age groups and sexes.
Women accounted for 64 percent of all people tested and 62 percent of the new positive cases, while men accounted for 38 percent of new infections.
Although people aged 20 to 24 made up the largest proportion of those tested, the highest concentration of newly identified HIV-positive cases was recorded among people aged 30 to 39.
Stakeholders say the findings are particularly concerning amid declining funding for HIV programmes and growing concerns about HIV prevention among young people.
Josephine Kaleebi, Executive Director of Reach out Mbuya Community Health Initiative, described the figures as alarming, particularly because some adolescents who were protected from mother-to-child transmission at birth are now becoming infected later in life.
She said a generation that has grown up with greater access to HIV treatment may have become less aware of the risks associated with the virus, calling for renewed prevention campaigns targeting young people.
Kaleebi urged government, health organisations and communities to place greater emphasis on prevention rather than relying mainly on treatment after infection.
The Lord Mayor of Kampala, Ronald Balimwezo, also called for increased government and development-partner funding for HIV programmes in the city, citing Kampala’s large and constantly changing day and night population.
Balimwezo called for a coordinated referral network linking non-governmental organisations and health facilities, as well as support to digitise healthcare facilities and equip them with computers.
He also encouraged residents to test regularly and know their HIV status.
Dr Christopher Oundo, the KCCA HIV/TB Focal Person, acknowledged significant progress in HIV care and treatment but said stigma, discrimination and continued new infections remain major challenges.
He called for stronger collaboration between government institutions, health facilities, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to reduce new infections and improve access to care.
The KCCA study also provides a snapshot of how far Kampala has progressed towards the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets.
The targets seek to ensure that 95 percent of people living with HIV know their status, 95 percent of those who know their status are on antiretroviral treatment, and 95 percent of people on treatment achieve viral suppression.
Kampala currently stands at 88 percent for people living with HIV knowing their status. This means the city is about seven percentage points short of the first 95 percent target.
Among those diagnosed with HIV, 78 percent are enrolled on antiretroviral therapy (ART), leaving Kampala 17 percentage points below the second 95 percent target.
The city, however, has exceeded the third target. Among people receiving ART, 97.5 percent have achieved viral suppression, meaning the amount of HIV in their blood has been reduced to very low levels through effective treatment.
The 97.5 percent viral suppression rate does not mean 97.5 percent of all people living with HIV in Kampala have suppressed the virus. It applies specifically to people already on treatment.
The stakeholders’ meeting was organised under the Reach out Mbuya Community Health Initiative, which is implementing a five-year PEPFAR-supported HIV/TB project in Kampala.
With an estimated 30 new positive cases recorded each day among those tested, health officials say Kampala’s next challenge is not only ensuring that people living with HIV receive effective treatment, but also preventing new infections from occurring in the first place.
