The government has called for multi-sectored collaboration in the fight against malnutrition, saying more than two million children’s lives are at risk of malnutrition.
The revelation was made yesterday during the launch of Global Nutrition Report (GNR) 2016 that, however, singled out Kenya as the only country in the world that has shown progress in all the five World Health Assembly (WHA) nutrition targets.
Kenya’s scale of malnutrition is said to be on the right course but that more still needs to be done. Kenya was also picked alongside South Africa, Sweden, US and India to launch the report.
Speaking at a Nairobi hotel, Health Cabinet Secretary Cleopa Mailu said malnutrition is both a global and national problem that needs to be prioritised to prevent loss of children’s lives.
He further revealed that the health docket spends $76 million (Sh7.6 billion) to control malnutrition and to avert disability.
“We need to have a sustained commitment on nutrition and when it comes to health matters; we need to collaborate with other ministries and the private sector to improve the state of nutrition.
To make gains, a lot is needed to make malnutrition a topic of no discussion by 2030,” he said. First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, who is also the country’s Nutrition Patron, said that to end malnutrition, there is need for proper policy direction and awareness especially on the need for exclusive breastfeeding.
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