Nairobi — The Government should stop advertising and distribution of free condoms in public places, religious leaders said yesterday.

The practice, they said, was encouraging promiscuity and fuelling the spread of HIV/Aids.

"There are no two ways about it...When condoms are provided anyhowly, chances of promiscuity increase since a majority of our people end up engaging in casual sex, " said Archbishop Ndingi Mwana a'Nzeki of the Catholic Church.

The archbishop, who was accompanied by Sheikh Al-Hajj Yussuf Murigu, asked Kenyans to shun promiscuity to ensure that the war against Aids was won.

They expressed their solidarity with Anglican Church Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi, who had earlier spoken out against the provision of free condoms.

Discrimination

The religious leaders were fielding questions from journalists during the opening of the national religious leaders' conference on stigma, denial and discrimination at Nairobi's Kenyatta International Conference Centre.

In a speech read by Mr Warren Buckingham, US ambassador Michael Ranneberger termed stigma, denial and discrimination as an "unholy trinity" which was the biggest impediment to the fight against Aids.

"I would therefore like to appeal to religious leaders to be in the forefront in fighting stigma among their followers," he said.

The US Government, the envoy said, would give Kenya $300 million (Sh23.8 billion) to use in the war against HIV/Aids. "The money will be used in buying quality anti-retroviral drugs and setting up counselling and testing centres," he said.

"At the same time, the US Government will provide $25 million (Sh1.7 billion) next year to assist Kenya in caring for orphans and vulnerable children," said Mr Ranneberger.