Nakuru County sets aside resources to tackle malnutrition

Nakuru,

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

KNA by Jane Ngugi

Nakuru County Government has crafted a localized County Nutrition Policy that will prioritise concrete initiatives and policies towards improving nutrition in a bid to bolster the health and wellbeing of the residents.

To address under -nutrition, the devolved unit’s administration has introduced community-based management, supplementation feeding programmes for pregnant women and capacity building for healthcare workers to offer nutrition services in all health facilities.

 The Nakuru County Nutrition Action Plan (CNAP) aims at addressing the County's triple burden of malnutrition, micronutrient deficiency and diet related non-communicable diseases.

A recent report released by the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey revealed worrying trends in the health of young children in Nakuru County, despite the county being identified as an agriculturally rich county.

The survey disclosed that nineteen in every 100 children in Nakuru are stunted, while three out of 100 children of the same age are wasted. The report established that nine out of 100 children aged under five years in the devolved unit were underweight while four out of 100 in a similar age bracket were obese.

The findings underline the challenge of inadequate access to a healthy and balanced diet being faced by many households. 

County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Health, Ms Roselyn Mungai, indicated that CNAP developed with financial and technical support of Nutrition International, county administration and nutrition stakeholders was guiding the devolved unit in scaling-up of nutrition interventions over the next five years.

“Malnutrition has both health and economic consequences and undermines basic human rights. As a county we have a target of reducing malnutrition by 60 percent and 58 percent respectively in children under five and expectant women in the next five years as outlined in our 2020-2025 CNAP. It is projected that 5,436 cases of wasting will be avoided,” noted Ms Mungai.

“Governor Susan Kihika’s administration is addressing the triple burden of malnutrition, under nutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and diet-related non-communicable diseases. We are spearheading the development of a county-specific Nutrition Policy in collaboration with stakeholders and experts led by Nutrition International, to develop a policy tailored to Nakuru's unique needs for sustained progress and economic growth,” stated the CEC.

She added "We are tailoring the policy to create a sustainable roadmap for nutrition that can withstand the test of time."

According to Ms Mungai other interventions by the county towards addressing malnutrition include provision of affordable healthcare services and medical and nutrition commodities and supplies to hospitals.

Ms Mungai indicated that improved nutrition is expected to contribute to economic productivity and development and reduce poverty.

The CECM revealed that the devolved unit’s administration was also supporting various programmes aimed at ensuring that the target population is nutritionally safe and that there is enough of nutrition-rich food, that the nutritional food is affordable and accessible to the low income consumers and that there is a productivity and respect for biodiversity and ecosystems.

Ms Mungai stated that to ensure sustainability in these interventions, plans are underway by Governor Kihika’s administration to strengthen its partnerships with Nutrition International beyond the stated financing period.

According to the CECM, over time, people have been emphasizing more on the need to eat a well-balanced diet, leaving aside important dietary aspects like minerals and trace elements. These she added include traces like zinc, magnesium, calcium and potassium among others. 

“Good nutrition is vital for all people especially vulnerable groups including children lactating mothers, the aged and the sick. There is need to look at food from not only an aspect of food security, but also nutritional security,” she observed.

Most people, she added, depend on certain types of food because of culture and availability, while they fail to consider the nutritional value of what they consume.

She urged stakeholders to work with research organisations and academic institutions to address food insecurity and malnutrition.

  “We have to focus beyond carbohydrates, vitamins and proteins, and instead include minerals and micro-nutrients,” said Ms Mungai.

 Notably, she added, research has revealed a direct link between nutrients-deprived soils and malnutrition.

“It has been noted there is a direct link between lack of zinc in soils for example, and lack of the same in food,” noted the CECM.

She said climate change, poverty and lack of innovation are some of the top challenges to food and nutritional security.

According to statistics from the devolved unit’s Department of Health of the 275,921 children under five living in the county, an estimated 27.9 percent are stunted way above the national level of 26%, a further five percent are wasted while 10.2% are underweight.

According to the Kenya Demographic Health Survey (2014), 75,439 children in Nakuru County were stunted while malnutrition causes an estimated 17,033 cases of low birth weight and underweight annually within the devolved unit.

The interventions outlined in CNAP are projected to result in 1,473 child deaths averted, 22,453 cases of anaemia prevented in pregnant women and 4,666 cases of anaemia avoided in adolescent girls. Over the period prevalence of stunting is expected to come down by approximately 38 percent while cases of iron deficiency anaemia in pregnant women to drop by 58 percent.

Nutrition International supported the development of the CNAP through its Nutrition Technical Assistance Mechanism’s Technical Assistance for Nutrition project, funded with UK aid from the United Kingdom government.

Other partners who offered technical support include the Ministry of Health’s Nutrition and Dietetics Unit, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Afya Uzazi and Egerton University.

 Ms Mungai further said that it requires a multi-sectoral approach to address the menace by bringing on board health, agriculture, education, gender, sports, water and sanitation professionals among others.

Official records from County Department of health indicate that malnutrition costs the health system an estimated Sh175.6 million per year, and that the menace had reduced education performance of learners with Nakuru recording an average annual 333 cases of class repetitions and drop outs due to stunting.

Absenteeism occasioned by stunting in the devolved unit according to the records was costing the education sector and affected families Sh 4.07 million annually.

“The preventative high-impact nutrition interventions within the CNAP will reach an average of 395,032 newborns, children, adolescent girls and pregnant women annually. 

 The County Nutrition Action Plan will further accelerate and scale up efforts towards elimination of malnutrition as a problem of public health significance in Nakuru County,” said the CECM.

Ms Mungai urged residents to embrace vegetable gardens as a source of direct nutrients to address malnutrition.

She expressed concern that one out of every three people in the world is malnourished.

The CECM however said that the challenge is solvable if only the health system could create health for its people.

She pointed out that adolescent girls and women are the most vulnerable due to biological and sociological aspects.

“The women and girls tend to the farms, plant, harvest, and cook, eat last and least thus spurring malnutrition.

The development and launch of the Nakuru CNAP confirms the commitment by the county’s leadership to make nutrition a priority for a healthier population. It is a key milestone in addressing the problem of malnutrition in the county and nationally. We are delighted that counties are willing to increase resources to nutrition,” she explained.

The solution to under nutrition she said lies at low cost intervention mechanisms which need to be scaled up by actively involving individuals, families and the communities.

Nutrition International has been working in Sub Saharan Africa in the past 25 years fighting against malnutrition.

 In Kenya, it is working with 16 counties, in reducing the cases including Nandi, Makueni, Vihiga and Busia.

The CNAP has incorporated the priorities of the Nakuru County Integrated Development Plan 2018-2022 and the County Health Sector Strategic and Investment Plan 2018-2022. 

 It lays out actions for resource mobilisation, and coordination and implementation of nutrition interventions with health and other key sectors. The plan has clearly defined targets and includes monitoring and accountability frameworks.

Courtesy; KNA