Most Kenyan men have heard of HIV self-test kits, but only one in 10 dared to use them, researchers say.
The kits are intended to make testing easier by allowing people to check for HIV privately, mostly by swabbing saliva from the mouth.
Yet the findings suggest that privacy and awareness alone are not enough to persuade more men to test.
A new study using national survey data found that 60 per cent of Kenyan men aged 15 to 59 were aware of HIV self-testing (HIVST) kits but only 9.1 per cent of them said they had ever used one.
“In Kenya, for example, where more than half the sample were aware of HIVST kits, only about one in 10 men reported using them,” they said. The difference means information about testing does not necessarily translate into action.
Depending on the kit, a person may use saliva or prick a finger for a blood sample. Results are usually available within minutes, but a positive result does not by itself confirm that a person has HIV and further testing at a health facility is needed.
Self-testing was introduced in Kenya in 2017 to offer a more private option for people, especially men, who are uncomfortable visiting a clinic for an HIV test.
But the findings suggest this was not enough because many people still worry about the cost of a kit, where to buy it, whether they can use it correctly or what they will do if the result shows they are positive.
Online Kenyan pharmacy listings show that some kits cost about Sh300 to more than Sh1,000.
“HIVST kits allow individuals to self-screen and interpret their HIV status anonymously, thereby promoting uptake,” The researchers said. “They also provide an alternative to facility-based testing, thereby eliminating access challenges in facility settings, reducing stigma, and promoting confidentiality.”
The study found that rural Kenyans were less likely to use the kits because they did not know where to buy them. Richer people were associated with higher odds of use, suggesting that economic circumstances may influence whether awareness becomes action.
The researchers found that in areas with high stigma towards people living with HIV, men in that area avoided testing themselves.
“HIV stigma has remained a major social challenge in the fight against HIV, acting as a barrier not only to the uptake of HIV screening but also to effective utilisation of treatment services in Kenya, Nigeria and Lesotho,” they said.
“One of the underlying drivers of HIV stigma is the continuous fatalistic view of the virus despite improved clinical advances that contribute to viral suppression.”
The National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC) says testing among men is much lower than among women.
According to the National Demographic and Health Survey 2022 data, 85 per cent of women versus 73 per cent of men in Kenya have ever been tested for HIV.
The study compared men in Kenya with men in Lesotho and Nigeria. In Lesotho, 55.9 per cent of men were aware of self-test kits and 33.7 per cent had used them. Nigeria had the lowest awareness, at 23.1 per cent, and the lowest use, at 3.3 per cent.
The researchers advised the Ministry of Health to do more than simply announce that self-testing exists.
“Effective health communication programs that are culturally sensitive and crafted in languages lay audiences can understand could promote population-level awareness and increase usage, especially among men,” they said in a paper titled “Determinants of awareness and use of HIV self-test kits among men in three African countries, published last week in the Aids Care journal.
They highlighted the need to make testing instructions understandable and to address uncertainty about test accuracy. Someone who is not confident about collecting a sample, following the steps or interpreting the result may be less likely to use a kit even when one is available, said the authors Irenius Konkor and Warren Dodd.
Kenya has an estimated 1.48 million people living with HIV, with prevalence among adults aged 15 to 49 standing at about 3.2 per cent, according to the 2026 national HIV estimates.
Testing remains essential because people who do not know their status may miss the opportunity to start treatment early and take steps to prevent transmission.
