Most Kenyan children lose one or both of their parents due to illness and the biggest killer by far is AIDS.
AIDS has been killing 700 Kenyans a day. By December 2001, 1.5 Million people had died of AIDS in Kenya with an estimate of deaths due to AIDS as 2.6 Million by the end of 2005. Most people dying of AIDS are 15-49 years so the country is losing its productive labour force as well as having to face the social and emotional impact.
As the people who are dying are in their prime reproductive age many have young children. The number of orphans, especially those who have been orphaned as a result of AIDS, is growing rapidly. According to a report, Children on the Brink 2002, compiled by UNAIDS, UNICEF and USAID, there were an estimated 1,659,000 orphans in Kenya in 2001 out of which 892,000 were orphans due to Aids. The report estimated Kenya would have about 1,920,000 orphans by the year 2005 out of which 1,265,000 would be due to AIDS.
The latest estimate (2010) is that there are 2,500,000 orphans in Kenya with the majority due to AIDS.
