Kenya is faced with a triple burden of malnutrition, namely undernutrition (stunting, wasting, and underweight), micronutrient deficiencies, over-nutrition (overweight and obesity), and associated diet-related non-communicable diseases.
A recently released Kenya Demographic Health Survey (KDHS) 2022 estimated that 18 percent of children aged 6-59 months are still stunted, 10 percent are underweight, and 3 percent are overweight, way above the World Health Assembly targets.
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition in partnership with stakeholders from the Ministries of Agriculture, Health, and Trade in Kiambu County met to review the current food systems model and to develop a county-level report that would help inform decisions on food production and re-examine production and consumption systems and their linkages to diets, nutrition, and other development outcomes.
“The food production and consumption patterns in Kenya have been greatly influenced by increased urbanization, economic growth, and subsequent changes in lifestyle, including a westernization of diet patterns characterized by increased consumption of processed, fatty, salty, sugary, and less nutritious foods. At the same time, traditional local nutritious foods that were once commonly consumed are now largely exported instead of being consumed locally.”
“Recent data indicates, for example, that only 5.2 percent of adults aged 18-69 years in Kenya consume the WHO recommendation of five servings (400 grams) of fruits and/or vegetables per day. In Kenya, fruits are consumed, on average, 2.4 days a week, while vegetables are consumed five days a week. We believe that everyone should have access to nutritious, safe, and affordable food and we want to work to develop and deliver solutions to this daily change,” said Ruth Okowa, GAIN country director.
The report would highlight strategies aimed at transforming food systems to make healthier diets accessible to all people, especially those who are most vulnerable e.g., children, such that by 2027 access to nutritionally enhanced staple foods and healthy diets would be greatly improved, and positive food system change seen in all counties.
“Due to COVID-19, conflict in Ukraine, and climate change, malnutrition and hunger have worsened significantly since 2020, reversing a decade of progress. There is growing recognition that our food systems need to change if we are to reverse these trends,” said Joseph Kamau, a public health officer in Kiambu County.
“Because of the bold and complex nature of this plan, the only way it can be achieved is if we work together with partners like GAIN, farmers, businesses, and civil society at the county and national level. These goals, and the ways of achieving them, will transform people’s lives through effective policy changes,” said Kamau.
Local food systems governance is a critical factor in the delivery of food systems transformation pathways in Kenya that comes with a lot of challenges.
To address these challenges, the Government of Kenya has developed a legislative and regulatory framework aimed at protecting and advancing good nutrition through innovative solutions that strengthen the country’s food supply chains and ultimately improve access to nutritious foods for its most vulnerable populations.
By Hellen Lunalo
