Concern over AIDS council's role

Kenya's AIDS NGO Consortium (KANCO) on Tuesday expressed concern over the future role of the National AIDS Control Council (NACC). KANCO said the government had yet to decide whether NACC would be more effective as a presidential or health ministry programme. "NACC would operate better as a presidential committee as President Mwai Kibaki ultimately has the final say over matters of urgency," KANCO resource centre assistant, Henry Kilonzo, told the UN news service PlusNews. NACC currently sits in the office of the president and coordinates all government and NGO HIV/AIDS interventions. Kilonzo said HIV/AIDS is no longer just a health department issue and affects all sectors. Meanwhile, President Mwai Kibaki on Sunday announced he would chair a cabinet committee to help reduce HIV/AIDS infection rates in the East African country.