The HIV epidemic began in Kenya more than two decades ago. The first AIDS case was recognized in 1984 and since that time approximately 1.5 million people have died from this disease . The epidemic increased and spread to all areas of the country during the decade of the 1990s, though regional, ethnic, and rural-urban differences remain. Women are more likely to be infected than men, and an estimated 1.3 million children under 15 are orphans due to HIV/AIDS.

The National AIDS/STD Control Programme of the Ministry of Health has conducted sentinel surveillance in pregnant women and men and women with sexually transmitted infection on an annual basis since 1990. This method has been the primary tool to measurement of the prevalence and epidemic trends of HIV in Kenya, and is a key component of the strategy to measure progress in achieving the targets of the National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan.