Kenya Boosts German Condom Maker

German prophylactic maker Condomi announced its largest order ever as Kenya finally implements its AIDS prevention strategy. The government -- which is cash-strapped -- will not pay for the condoms directly; rather, it will use a $100 million 'soft loan' from the World bank to pay for the 300 million condoms over four years. Three condoms cost 8 cents in Kenya, where more than half the population lives on less than 50 cents a day.

The purchase comes after Condomi announced that it would build a South African factory to make 100 million condoms annually. A similar plan was scrapped two years ago because of government red tape and lack of interest. The government of President Daniel Arap Moi has been slow to tackle the AIDS crisis. The president admits that he is "shy" when it comes to talking about condoms, and he advises people to just avoid sex.

About 700 people die from AIDS every day in Kenya, and more than 2 million Kenyans are HIV-positive. AIDS patients occupy half of Kenya's hospital beds. Last year, the government announced a plan to import 300 million condoms in order to control the rapid increase of AIDS-related deaths.

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