The nutrition status of children in Elgeyo Marakwet has improved which has seen stunting among children aged 0-5 years drop from 30% to 22%.
The county nutritionist Priscilla Ngetich however said wasting had gone up from 4.5% to 5% while the percentage of children born underweight had also gone up from 14-15% which she said shows that despite the improvement, nutrition was still a challenge in the county.
Speaking during the launch of a five year County Nutrition Action Plan, the nutritionist said poor nutrition leads to stunted growth which in turn affects the mental development of children and therefore their education.
“Such children do not perform well in school thus lose out in accessing various opportunities in future as they cannot compete with other children,” she said.
Ms. Ngetich blamed the poor nutrition to poor feeding habits among locals saying while the county produces all types off food which constitute a balanced diet, the residents feed on one type of food especially what is in season.
Joy Karimi from Nutrition International who are sponsoring the action plan said they hoped to reduce stunting in the county from 22% to below 15% which she said will contribute to a drop in the national prevalence rate which stands at 18%.
The Deputy Governor Prof. Grace Cheserek who launched the plan called for more investment in nutrition both at the individual level and government as it saves on medical expenses.
By Alice Wanjiru
