Raise your voice against this injustice

All the right thinking people in this world should raise their voice in support of the around 1.4 million people living with HIV and AIDS in Kenya in their fight against a law, Anti-Counterfeit Act, which will deny them access to cheaper medicines. Of courses, a host of NGOs have vowed to fight the case.

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The Act allows only patented drugs, promoted by MNCs, to be sold in the country as the generic drugs, which are in some cases 90 per cent cheaper than patented drugs, will be treated as spurious drugs. The Act has already been passed, learnt to be under MNCs pressure, but the government is yet to enact it.

Once this Act is enacted, it in all practical purposes, means death sentence to millions of people suffering from HIV/AIDS as they can ill afford the medicines marketed by MNCs. After Kenya, several other African countries, reportedly under MNCs pressure, are following the Kenyan way.

The Sub Saharan Africa, includng Kenya, is by far the worst-affected in the world by the AIDS epidemic. The region has just over 10% of the world's population, but is home to 67% of all people living with HIV. An estimated 1.9 million adults and children became infected with HIV during 2007. This brought the total number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the region to 22 million by the end of the year. There are around 40 million HIV affected people in the world.

With its eye on this huge market, the MNCs have been spreading its propaganda against the generic drugs in the African countries which has resulted in some countries like Kenya and Uganda coming out with anti-counterfeit bills.

The NGOs have challenged the Act in court. It is time all right thinking people raise their voice against the injustice being meted out to poor people of African countries who can only afford cheaper medicines.