Now, I know most Kenyans have never gone for a HIV test. Because surely what will you be looking for. For me, the last time, I went for the test, I had to drink a lot of alcohol but I came out when I was very sober.
Hii ugonjwa heri usijue uko nayo! After all, what you don’t know doesn’t kill you. I don’t think that saying applies in this case because HIV kills, whether you have been tested or not!
Anyway, am not a doctor, I am here to tell you a story about EACC boss Twalib Mbarak. The man once tested HIV positive.
That was in 1987, when he went to take a loan from a SACCO and one of the requirements was a mandatory test. Back then, very little was known about this disease.
“I took a loan of Sh700,000 and I had to be subjected to an HIV test with my wife and I can tell you I was HIV positive for one day…and it was bad,” he said.
Now imagine staying for a whole 24 hours thinking you are positive and are actually going to die. Our good man must have endured a very torrid time.
“After the test, we went to fill the insurance form. That is why when I see people who are positive I support them and sympathise with them,” he said.
The anti-graft CEO said after four days, his wife was called and the bank people said the doctor wanted to see both of them.
“From the call, we were told it was urgent…we started asking ourselves why we were being called. When we reached home my wife was looking at me and I was looking at her,” he said.
Later the couple was told that they had filled the wrong insurance forms and that they had to go back and fill the right ones.
Remember this was a time when there was no ARVs and being positive was a death sentence.
Mr. Twalib was speaking during a partnership betweeen EACC and Saccos on Wednesday.