• Kenya has adequately responded with an evidence-based action plan that is deaf to the regional boundaries narrative, dubbed the Kenya Nutrition Action Plan (KNAP), which was launched in 2018.

Malnutrition refers to the deficiencies or surfeit of nutrient intake, with the former being most prevalent. This imbalance of essential nutrients makes individuals prone to diseases caused by a downswing of the body’s immune system occasioned by impaired nutrient utilization.

Malnourishment draws as a double-edged sword, as it consists of both under nutrition and overweight. The former manifests in forms like stunting, underweight and micronutrient deficiencies, while the latter reveals in forms like obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of children with stunting is declining in all regions except Africa, therefore demanding a call to action by African nations.

Kenya has adequately responded with an evidence-based action plan that is deaf to the regional boundaries narrative, dubbed the Kenya Nutrition Action Plan (KNAP), which was launched in 2018.

Following its success, the Ministry of Health (MoH) intends to rejuvenate the plan, with the Division of Nutrition and Dietetics drafting a five-year project to maintain an inclining performance graph against tackling malnutrition.

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The Ministry has insured the project by partnering with key organizations, such as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), WHO, Breakthrough Action, Save the Children, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-Momentum.

The Ministry boasts an impressive 8% decrease in the prevalence of stunting in the country, thanks to the KNAP 2018-2022.

“The KNAP 2023-2027 is a comprehensive five-year plan that will employ a multi-sectoral approach to accelerate and scale up efforts in combating malnutrition and promoting good nutrition practices across the life course. It will build on successes and lessons learned from the implementation of the previous KNAP. The development process has been widely consultative collecting proposals from multi-sectoral nutrition stakeholders at both the national and county level,” the Ministry of Health stated on X.

Through a workshop that commenced on June 17, 2024, the Ministry of Health assembled stakeholders from diverse sectors with a view to accelerate the already fast-paced initiative.

The mobilized stakeholders from different ministries and agencies include: Agriculture and Livestock Development, Labour and Social Protection, Education, Trade, Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs, Kenya National Hospital, among others, as well as academia representation from Kenyatta and Baraton Universities.