Health Journalism Network Uganda (HEJNU) health Café in Gulu City.
On June 23rd, 2026, the Health Journalism Network Uganda (HEJNU), with support from Coalition for Health Promotion and Social Development (HEPS Uganda) held a health media café at the Northern Uganda Media Club (NUMEC), Gulu City on “The roll out of Lenacapavir amid HIV situation in Gulu.’
The engagement started at 9:00 a.m. and went through until 1:00 p.m.
The café was attended by 25 participants –20 of them journalists drawn from different media houses, 3 speakers, a rapporteur and the convenor— within Gulu City.
The invited speakers included:
- Florence Amito (Gulu City HIV Focal Point Person).
- Dr. Ayaa Mary Stella (Health In-charge, Bar dege Health Centre III)
- Kipwola Susan (Case study and peer educator)
The session was moderated by John K. Okot, a journalist and HEJNU convenor. He began by introducing HEJNU work, its mandate and the objective of the health café.
Journalists introduced themselves to the speakers.
- Presentation by Ms. Florence Amito (Gulu HIV Focal Point Person).
Ms. Amito, kicked off the session by highlighting a brief overview of the HIV prevalence in Gulu City against the national prevalence which is at 7%.
| Age aggregates | Males | Females | Total |
| 0-9 | 101 | 119 | 220 |
| 10-14 | 144 | 135 | 279 |
| 15- 19 | 260 | 337 | 597 |
| 20-24 | 294 | 624 | 918 |
| 25-29 | 293 | 1,241 | 1,534 |
| 30-49 | 3,825 | 7,725 | 11,550 |
| 50+ | 2,720 | 4,621 | 7,351 |
| Total | 7,637 | 14,802 | 22,439 |
Ms. Amito defined Key Population as a group of people who are at a higher risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV due to their specific behaviors, social factors and barriers to accessing healthcare services. e.g. female sex workers.
She also highlighted the key drivers of new HIV infections: men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, transgender people, people in prison and other closed setting.
She also explains reason why they are called Key Population, stating that:
- They carry a disproportionately high burden of HIV
- They face stigma, discrimination, violence and legal barriers.
- They often have limited access to prevention, testing, treatment and care services. Thus reaching them is essential for controlling HIV epidermic.
She listed Key HIV services for key population:
- HIV testing services
- Oral Prep and other PreP options
- Condoms and lubricant distribution
She also shined light on the Priority Populations by defining them as Priority populations are groups of people who are at an increased risk of acquiring HIV.
She listed examples of priority populations:
- Adolescent girls and young women.
- Pregnant and breastfeeding women.
- Mobile and migrant populations.
- Fishing communities.
- Uniformed personnel.
- People with disability.
- Orphans and vulnerable children.
She said Gulu City recorded alarming infection rates, with 480 new cases (January – March).
Some of the hotspot, she noted, include: Cuk Oweka market, Lacor market, Acholi road, areas around Gulu University.
- Presentation by Dr. Ayaa Mary Stella (Health In-charge, Bar dege Health Centre III).
She began by talking about the guidelines on Lenacapavir for HIV prevention and testing strategies for long-acting injectable PrEP.
New recommendations:
- Long acting Lenacapvir should be offered as additional prevention choice for people at risk.
- Rapid diagnostic test may be used for HIV testing initiation, continuation and discontinuation of long-acting PrEP.
Lenacapavir: an HIV-1 capsid inhibitor:
- She said Lenacapavir (LEN) is a long-acting antiretroviral drug.
- It belongs to a class of antiretrovirals called capsid inhibitors
- Since 2022, it has been approved in the US by the FDA for use as a treatment in people living with HIV who are highly treatment experienced, and who have multidrug resistant HIV.
- Until recently, its use as prevention was only theoretical.
Lenacapavir for prevention (dosing regimen).
- Oral loading is mandatory to reach Pyruvate Kinase (PK) levels (1200mg split in two days)
- Day 1: 2 tablets of 300mg each
- Day 2: 2 tablets of 300mg each
- Subcutaneous injections every six month
- Day 1: 927mg of lenacapavir, delivered in 2 subcutaneous injections (abdominal*) of 1.5mL of suspension each
- Repeat every 26 weeks (182 days)
- Without oral loading dose, protection levels from the injection alone are reached after weeks 3-4. No oral loading needed for follow-up injections if they are on time (28 weeks maximum).
Lencapavir implication for implementation
- LEN should be delivered as an additional prevention choice alongside other HIV PrEP and prevention options.
- Considerations should include when introducing Lena:
- population-specific needs
- differentiated service delivery models.
- integration of services to maximize acceptability and accessibility
- awareness raising and demand generation activities.
- provider training.
- Monitoring and surveillance systems to include
- adverse event monitoring during pregnancy and breastfeeding
- seroconversions and drug resistance (LEN specific).
- Successful introduction of LEN depends on the full participation of communities in designing, implementing and monitoring programmes.
Implementation considerations
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding:
- LEN showed no increase in adverse pregnancy or birth outcomes among the 193 pregnancies reported.
- No dose adjustment is likely to be required during pregnancy, with pharmacokinetic data indicating standard dosing remains effective.
- Drug to drug interactions:
- Antibiotics for treatment of tuberculosis (TB) Rifabutin, Rifampicin, Rifapentine – Potential interaction, which requires dose adjustment.
- Hormonal contraceptives – Ethinylestradiol, Etonogestrel, Levonorgestrel, Medroxyprogesterone, Norethisterone, Norgestrel – No dose adjustment required.
Research gaps.
- Product choice and switching.
- Differentiated service delivery
- Adolescents.
- Key populations.
- Cost and impact.
- Drug resistance.
New WHO recommendation
- Rapid diagnostic test may be used for HIV testing for initiation, continuation and discontinuation of long-acting PrEP.
- Kipwola Susan (case study) speak to journalists.
- Ms. Kipwola, peer educator, revealed she was among the first forty to use injectable PrEP in Gulu.
- Prior to that, she said she had been using oral PrEP in 2023. Later she switched to vaginal rings and, two months went for Lencapavir.
- As a peer educator, she has been conducting HIV testing, counselling and sensitising people on injectable PrEP.
- She urges people not to fear going for injectable PrEP, adding that she has not experienced any side effects.
- She added that she chose to go six months injectable PrEP.
Potential story ideas on Lenacapvir:
- Community perception on Lenacapavir
- Uptake on Lenacapavir in Gulu City
- Uptake of Lenacapavir among people with hearing impairments
- Drivers of HIV infections among married people
- Tracking the roles of community health facilitators in identifying lost / elusive clients.
- Profiling the first beneficiaries of Lenacapavir in Gulu City.
- Aid cuts: ARVs uptake and enrolment.
- Mobility ARVs services
- Discordant couples using Lenacapavir.
- An analysis on HIV status in Gulu (past five years).
John Okot also urged journalists to follow up on the stories. He urged journalists to consider the grassroots voices at the fore as well as humanising the stories.
Appendix
Some of the stories produced after the café
https://theelephant.co.ug/low-prep-uptake-raises-concern-among-health-workers-in-gulu-city/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFdZ1u-nA48
https://theelephant.co.ug/hope-and-hurdles-gulu-expands-access-to-lenacapavir-for-hiv-prevention/
https://www.ugstandard.com/gulu-hospital-receives-80-more-lenacapavir-doses-amid-high-demand/
https://x.com/DailyMonitor/status/2068682288670322935
https://www.radiocomnetu.org/speakfm/2026/06/23/1380/
https://www.radiocomnetu.org/speakfm/2026/06/23/1380/
https://www.radiopacis.org/low-uptake-of-prep-worries-health-experts-in-gulu-city/
Some of the social media post
https://x.com/DailyMonitor/status/2068682288670322935
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7473760741968359424/
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18U8evvC53/
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18UB5nzjAs/
The journalists who attended the health café.
| NO | Names | Media House |
| 1 | Walter Kidega | Speak Fm |
| 2 | Ismael Jacob | Wan Luo |
| 3 | Owen Odong | Daily Express |
| 4 | Ekwany Rebbeca | Radio Favour |
| 5 | Denis Omony | Mega FM |
| 6 | Patrick Uma | Chimp Reports |
| 7 | Wilfred Okot | The Ankole Times |
| 8 | Okumu Langol | Oyengyeng |
| 9 | Joan Adong | TND News |
| 10 | Dokotho Teddy | The Elephant News |
| 11 | Odong Stephen | Radio Pacis |
| 12 | Okello Jesus Ojara | TND News |
| 13 | David Okema | Ug Standard |
| 14 | Wilfred Akayi | Choice FM |
| 15 | David Magere | Vision Group |
| 16 | Simon Wokorach | Greater North News Agency (GNNA) |
| 17 | Akello Mirriam Daphine | Radio Pacis |
| 18 | Okello Jesus Ojara | TND News |
| 19 | Nanyunja Blessed | Radio Pacis |
| 20 | Okot Lil Romeo | TND News |
AGENDA FOR THE HEJNU- GULU HEALTH CAFÉ SCHEDULED.
Topic: Lenacapvir roll out amid HIV situation in Gulu
| Time | Items |
| 8:00 am – 9: 30 am | Arrival and registration by John K. Okot |
| 9:30 am – 10:30 am | Prayers, welcome remarks and self-introduction by the journalists. |
| 9:30 am – 10:30 am | Overview of the HIV situation in Gulu City, facilities offering ARVs, Key Target Populations.
|
| 10:30am – 11: 00 am | Break tea |
| 11:00 am – 12: 00 am | The different HIV preventive strategies.
|
| 12: 00 am- 12:30pm | Case study |
| 12:30pm – 1:00 pm | Questions from the journalists |
| 1:00 pm- 1:30pm | Editors share pointers on story ideas that can be picked out of the café
|
| 1:30 pm | Closure, Lunch and departure |
