The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that influence adherence to
antiretroviral therapy in low income communities in Embu County. The study sought to find
out how social economic status, drug abuse, religious beliefs and the knowledge on Human
Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV /AIDS) therapy influences adherence to antiretroviral therapy
among HIV positive adults accessing HIV treatment in low income communities in Embu
County. The study employed descriptive survey research design. The Target population for
the study was107 People living with HIV under antiretroviral therapy in Matakari Slum.
Random Sampling Technique was employed to obtain a sample size of 84respondentsfor the
study. Questionnaires were the instruments of data collection. Data analysis were done using
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and presentation done using descriptive
statistics. The study also utilized the spearman’s rho coefficient correlation because the data
generated was ordinal in scale. In the study, it was found out that 79% of the respondents
admitted to having missed taking their ARV medication at least once in their lifetime. This
indicated non-adherence to ARVs with 44% being non adherent due to socio-economic related
factors; 51% due to drug related factors, 35% due to lack of knowledge on antiretroviral therapy
and 35% due to religious and cultural related reasons. Two spearman’s rho coefficient
correlations conducted regaled that there is a strong positive correlation of 0.76 at a significant
coefficient level of 0.01 between alcohol consumption and ARV non-adherence. This
implicates that alcoholic are likely to abandon ARV consumption. There was also a strong
positive correlation of 0.91 at 0.01 significant level of 0.01 between the ARV adherence and
education level. The more educated the clients is the more likely he or she will be ARV
adherent. There should be an establishment of economic ventures in Matakari slum to ensure
that people on antiretroviral therapy are able to uplift their financial status to be able to sustain
the social economic demands and shun away from quire religious beliefs and practices. ARV
consumption education should be enhanced among HIV positive clients at the community
health center to ensure that clients are well aware of the dangers associated with the nonadherence
of ARVs. A rehabilitation center should also be established to ensure that HIV
positive clients who are alcoholic are able to shun the vice to enhance proper ARV
consumption.