Doreen Moraa celebrates 34 years of living with HIV
By Ascah Mwango, September 18, 2026Kenyan HIV advocate Doreen Moraa Moracha has marked 34 years of living with HIV, reflecting on her journey and continued advocacy against stigma associated with the virus.
Moraa shared the milestone on Instagram on Friday, September 18, 2026, describing it as her “Chapter 34”.
“Here’s what 34 years of living with HIV looks like. Happy Birthday to me,” she wrote.
Although Moraa was born on August 8, 1992, she chose September 18 to mark the anniversary of her life with HIV.
Moraa was born to HIV-discordant parents, meaning her mother was living with HIV while her father was HIV-negative. She acquired HIV at birth.
According to Moraa, her mother did not know that she was living with HIV when she gave birth to her.
“When I was born, my mom did not know she or I had HIV. I started getting sick from my sixth month. My parents and relatives assumed that I was bewitched because I was always sick,” Moraa previously said in a post shared by the International AIDS Society.
She was diagnosed with HIV at the age of eight after developing herpes zoster.
“At the hospital, I was tested for HIV; that is how my parents found out I had HIV,” she said.
Moraa recalled that doctors warned her parents that she might not live for long, advising them to take her home and spend time with her.
She said her parents did not tell her about her HIV status until she was 13, when antiretroviral (ARV) medication became freely available in Kenya.
Moraa has since turned her personal experience into an advocacy journey, openly discussing her HIV status to challenge stigma and encourage others living with the virus.
She first publicly disclosed her status in 2015 through a Facebook post, saying at the time that some people did not believe she was HIV-positive.
Since then, she has used her social media platforms and public engagements to share her experiences and encourage people to get tested, seek treatment and adhere to their medication.
Moraa has also documented herself taking her ARV medication, both privately and publicly, as part of her efforts to normalise conversations around HIV and demonstrate that people living with the virus can lead fulfilling lives.
Her latest milestone marks more than three decades since her diagnosis and comes as she continues to use her story to advocate for greater awareness and an end to HIV-related stigma.