Khayelitsha, South Africa ? Sen. Barack Obama said Monday that the South African government must awake from its “denial” over the menacing AIDS crisis and he pledged to set an example for men across Africa by being tested for HIV when he arrives in Kenya late this week.

“There needs to be a sense of urgency and an almost clinical truth-telling about AIDS in this country for the problem to be solved,” said Obama, a Democrat from Illinois. “If it is not addressed in an unambiguous fashion, the percentage of people who are infected is going off the charts.”

To make his point, Obama said he would step “in front of the cameras, so people can see there’s nothing stigmatizing about getting an AIDS test.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which operates a treatment and research center in Kenya, asked Obama to be tested during his two-week trip to Africa.

On a continent where state officials rarely lead by example in combating AIDS, his actions could provide a psychological boost for testing efforts and perhaps persuade Kenyans – and other Africans – to follow his lead. It’s an open question, of course, how many people would rush to clinics simply because Obama said so.

“It will encourage other people who may be less brave,” said Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who met with the senator Monday afternoon. “Soon, you’re not speaking about someone who is infected like they are pariahs.”

South Africa has one of the world’s most severe AIDS epidemics.

Five million people – nearly one in five adults – are infected with HIV and close to 900 people a day are dying of AIDS-related illness, according to the United Nations. Yet its government is sharply criticized, at home and abroad, for its confusing and unscientific messages on AIDS.

President Thabo Mbeki has questioned whether HIV infection leads to the development of AIDS, while the country’s controversial health minister questions the safety and effectiveness of anti-retroviral drugs and promotes instead a cocktail of olive oil, beets, lemon and African potato.

“The information being provided by the ministry of health is not accurate,” Obama said. “It’s not scientifically correct.”

Still, the country’s former vice president, who aspires to be the country’s next president, recently admitted having sex with an HIV-positive woman without using a condom. He said he reduced his risk of acquiring the virus by taking a shower after sex.

“There should not be a contradiction or conflict between the traditional values and modern science,” Obama said. “It’s not an issue of western science versus African science. It’s just science. And it’s not right.”

Obama is traveling through Africa on a two-week, fact-finding congressional delegation.

While he said it was not appropriate to directly criticize the South African president, he added, “All leaders have a responsibility to speak honestly and clearly about these issues and to address the realities of what’s happening.”