NAIROBI, Dec 2 (AFP) - Kenya's first lady Lucy Kibaki on Tuesday declared total war on discrimination against AIDS patients in Kenya, a presidential press service (PPS) statement said.
"Kibaki will stage her assault through the Kenyan Chapter of the Organization of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA-Kenya), which was launched in July," the statement said.
"OAFLA-Kenya will work towards eliminating the stigmatization and discrimination of people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS and encourage their participation in the fight," the statement quoted Kibaki as saying.
It would also promoting and encourage "social involvement in the fight against HIV/AIDS at the grassroots and national levels," the statement said, pointing out that Kibaki will use her status to ensure women and girls play a viable role in her campaign against HIV/AIDS.
Kibaki's organisation would also mobilize funds to fight the disease and advocate for "effective policies and strategies of treatment and care for people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.
Kenya has lost some 1.5 million people to AIDS since the disease was discovered in 1984, and currently around 2.5 million are infected by the disease.
OAFLA-Kenya Chapter was created after its parent body OAFLA-Africa was launched in July 2002 in Geneva, when 37 African first ladies and their representatives met and signed a framework for action to combat the pandemic in the continent.
In September, the wives of African heads of states vowed to lobby for laws which would criminalise sexual abuse of women in a bid to reduce their vulnerability to AIDS.
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