Dr Joe Muriuki, First Kenyan to Go Public About His HIV Status Dies at 62

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The first Kenyan to disclose his HIV status, Dr. Joe Muriuki, has passed away. The National Empowerment Network of People living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya (NEPHAK) confirmed his death which occurred on February 14, 2022.

On the report of NEPHAK, Muriuki lost his battle to colorectal cancer of the colon and rectum as he was receiving treatment at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).

Muriuki earned significant recognition on September 20, 1987, when he publicly declared that he was HIV positive, becoming the first Kenyan to do so.

Narrating his story, he stated that the doctor had told him that he had less than 90 days to live as the disease had no known cure.

“I was a normal young man with a normal lifestyle. I had a promising career as an accountant at Nairobi City Council. I had been losing weight and having other standard symptoms associated with HIV, but I assumed it was malaria.

“The doctor ran various tests including, one for HIV. On getting the results, the doctor stood and started pacing to the window,” Muriuki stated during an interview with the Standard.

It was at this time that his life took a bizarre twist after the doctor informed him that he had the virus and was the first HIV+ person to encounter during his career as a medic.

“Muriuki, the tests show that you might be HIV positive. You are the first patient I’ve come across with the disease,” the doctor explained.

The doctor then recommended that Muriuki’s wife should also get tested. Her wife, who was three weeks pregnant with their third child, was tested, but she was negative. This was short-lived as she tested positive after three months.

After completing her pregnancy cycle of nine months, the couple was blessed with a baby boy, who was HIV negative. All this time, they were stigmatized and discriminated against by the community.

Muriuki admitted that he was demoted from his previous working position to a smaller office due to his HIV status. He then opted to work with organizations dealing with HIV/AIDS to support people living with the disease. He was involved in the HIV tribunal as a representative of people living with HIV and was part of the team that formulated the East African HIV and Aids Management Act.

When asked how he managed to live over 30 years with the disease, he had said: “Unlike many who were HIV+, I was always exposed to the newest information on the disease, which has helped me maintain my health over the years.”

The post Dr Joe Muriuki, First Kenyan to Go Public About His HIV Status Dies at 62 appeared first on LitKenya.

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