This past weekend, Kisumu stood still.
Not in silence or surrender, but in strength.
At Nile Resort in Nyamasaria, we gathered for the 2025 International AIDS Candlelight Memorial.
What unfolded was more than an event. It was a movement. A declaration. A collective roar from a community that refuses to be forgotten.
The air was heavy with memory, but also charged with urgency.
Because today, in 2025, HIV and TB are not just medical terms in Kisumu. They are our lived reality.
They have names. Faces. Dreams that were. Lives that still fight for dignity.
Kenya remains deeply affected by HIV and TB.
As of 2023, our country reported 34,540 new HIV infections and 1.4 million people living with HIV.
Kisumu alone ranked second nationally in new HIV infections, following closely behind Nairobi.
The top ten counties with the highest burden include Kisumu, Nairobi, Nakuru, Migori, Homa Bay, Uasin Gishu, Siaya, Mombasa, Kakamega, and Kericho.
These counties account for the majority of new infections in the country.
TB remains the leading cause of death among people living with HIV in Kenya.
In 2022, the country recorded 82,976 cases of TB and about 26 percent of them were people living with HIV.
TB-related mortality is still unacceptably high. Kisumu, being one of the epicentres, feels this burden heavily.
This is why we hold the Candlelight Memorial every year.
To remember, yes.
But also to call out injustice. To demand more.
To break the silence surrounding disrupted services, stigma, and advanced HIV disease that continues to ravage lives quietly.
The ceremony opened with a prayer and heartfelt remarks from our Patron.
From there, the mood shifted, but not to sorrow, but to defiance.
We heard the voices of champions. Real people.
Brave souls who stood up and spoke of what it means to live with HIV and TB today. Their truths moved mountains.
At 3.30 in the afternoon, guest speakers shook the silence.
We heard about the pain caused when services are interrupted.
The fear of ageing with HIV, with little support. The hidden toll of mental health struggles.
The looming threat of TB in informal settlements. These are not abstract challenges. They are daily and lived realities.
And then came the light.
At 4.30 in the evening, hundreds of candles flickered across the space, including virtual ones.
Each flame has a name. A laugh. A child. A promise. A reminder that behind every statistic is a story. That we will not forget. We will not stop.
This memorial was not just a ritual. It was a rallying cry.
To our leaders: restore our services. To our communities: protect and uplift one another.
To the world: look here, listen, act.
We leave the Candlelight Memorial with fire in our hearts. Determined. Recommitted.
We will push until stigma ends. Until treatment is fully funded. Until the voices of people living with HIV and TB are heard at every decision-making table.
The time is now. Kisumu has spoken.
Bring your candle. Bring your story. Bring your voice.
The writer is the Vice Chairman of the Board at TB Network Champions of Kenya.
