US pledges $2.7 billion for Kenya HIV battle

The United States committed $2.7 billion last week to help fight HIV infection in Kenya where more than a million people are living with the disease.

The pledge is part of the larg-est US foreign aid programme devoted to a single disease - the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief - and has been lauded as a bright spot of former President George W. Bush's tenure.

The money, which is to be dispersed over the next five years, represents a 112 per cent increase in funding for the programme in Kenya, east Africa's largest economy. It is seen by the US as an enhancement of a successful programme.

"Kenya is now the biggest recipient of this programme in the world, more than South Africa," US Ambassador Michael Ranneberger told reporters in Nairobi.

He said the agreement with Nairobi meant the government was expected to increase direct budget support for the fight against HIV/AIDS by a minimum of 10 per cent annually.

Kenyan Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta said the effect of the HIV virus and AIDS on the Kenyan economy was great.