Commercial sex workers in Busia town, Kenya, have shared that they wash and reuse the condoms to meet sexual needs of their customers.
One sex worker who spoke to a local television station, stated that the county has been experiencing a shortage of female and male condoms for a while and the few that are available are from the neighbouring country, Uganda.
She told NTV,
“We are pleading with the government to release condoms to Busia because our lives are at risk.”
Other residents also said they risk unplanned pregnancies if the government doesn’t intervene.
Janerose Ambuchi, the Director of Medical Services in Busia county, who said that her office is not aware of the recycling of contraceptives in the area, blamed the short supply of condoms to a decline in international donor funding.
She said,
“It has not come to my desk but if it’s happening it should not be allowed to continue because the integrity of the condom is going to be affected. The second and third use because of lack of condoms will expose this generation to danger.
“The county (Busia) is experiencing an acute shortage of condoms which is not a Busia problem alone. It’s a national problem. This is a donor-funded commodity based on a global fund. At the moment, donor funding has dwindled.”
