It is appalling, to say the least, that the National Council of Churches of Kenya should even think of asking doctors to break the confidentiality of HIV-positive patients.

Far from being the solution to the pandemic, the proposal coming out of the regional conference of the council's members clearly manifests just how far Kenyans still have to go before we can come to terms with HIV/Aids - let alone negotiate solutions.

When the council asks of doctors that they publicly declare the status of their patients, it must not forget that HIV-positive people have rights - and that the greater majority of them are neither promiscuous nor criminals. Why discriminate against those with HIV and not the ones with other sexually transmitted diseases? Shall we also go ahead and isolate those suffering from infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, leprosy, whooping cough or even the common flu?

To suggest that everyone with HIV have their private history posted out in public noticeboards, as it were, is to claim a moral high ground that no one but God has the right to. It also demonstrates ignorance of the dynamics of the disease.

Whereas it is necessary for Kenyans to speak out publicly about HIV/Aids, the battle will not be won by unethical means. The disease may have a knock-on effect in the lives of all Kenyans, but it is unlikely that such spurious proposals will stop people in their tracks and ensure behaviour change.

It is not as if the majority of Kenyans are not already aware of the hows and whys of HIV/Aids. What we expect of an institution such as NCCK is not hysteria, but a comprehensive strategy to get its flock to appreciate the threat that HIV/Aids poses to humanity.

The campaign against HIV must be built on trust, in the first instance. It is only then that those already infected can confidently come out and voluntarily preach the message of salvation.

The NCCK must be aware of the stigma and discriminative practices that HIV-positive people and their families live with. Such sentiments can only be fuelled by statements that appear to treat HIV-positive people as criminals who must be exposed for the so-called good of society.