Introduction
Voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) sites are now widespread in Kenya, and there are over 800 facilities nationwide. It is also believed that HIV discordance may be as high as 50 percent. Therefore, programs are now emphasizing couple counseling and testing. This paper describes the couple counseling and HIV testing behavior among VCT clients in five districts in Kenya.

Materials and methods
In June 2006, 1,073 respondents from 20 VCT sites were interviewed after accessing services. Trained interviewers following standard ethical procedures collected data. Half the clients were male, the mean age was 30 years (range 18–85), and half had completed secondary education or higher.

Results
Thirty-seven percent of clients were currently married, 53 percent were single, and 10 percent were divorced, widowed, or separated. Eighty percent of men and 74 percent of women reported having a current sex partner. Only 11 percent of respondents with a partner were accompanied by the partner on the day of the interview. There were no differences in couple attendance by gender (10 percent male, 11 percent among females, p=0.77). There was an interaction between partner presence and age: Men who reported coming with their partners were likely to be older than those who did not (36 years vs. 31 years, p=0.01). Women who reported coming with their partners were likely to be younger than those who did not (25 years vs. 28 years, p=0.03).

Conclusions
VCT programs need to strengthen their couple counseling programs. Such programs should be alert to gender-based age variations in couple attendance and develop appropriate responses.