Kenya is facing a serious condom shortage, health authorities said Wednesday. Due to high demand, an emergency order of 45 million extra condoms had to be made.

The emergency supply is expected to arrive on the 10th of April. It will be provided by the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

"The demand was eight million per month, then it went to 12 million and currently stands at around 20 million. That gives you the number of encounters people would have," Kenya's Public Health Director told reporters. 

 According to Kenyan radio station Capital FM, the revelation of the shortage came after reports that residents from the town Isiolo were recycling the protective devices.

The deputy director of the national AIDS Control Programme said the government had also signed an agreement with the United Nations Population Fund to supply 180 million condoms from May.

He added that distributing the condoms remote regions remained problematic due to bad roads.

source: AFP