• The report says the key drivers of unacceptably high levels of malnutrition include poor child feeding and care practices, poor WASH and high food prices
•A total of 36,725 were admitted for Severe Acute Malnutrition treatment from January to March 2024 in ASAL, refugee and urban areas
Image: FILE
The levels of malnutrition in the country remain high despite various interventions, a new status report by Food Security and Nutrition Working Group (FSNWG) shows.
The report however shows there has been improvement in nutrition status across the country due to the ongoing rains.
According to the report, 195,103 children in the country aged six to 59 months were found to be severely malnourished, while another 652,829 had moderate acute malnutrition.
The report was released on Thursday by FSNWG, a regional platform currently co-chaired by IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
“Improvements in nutrition situation observed across the counties due to sustained response and improved food security situation as a result of good rainfall performance," the report says.
"However, levels of acute malnutrition remain elevated in most arid counties, with Turkana South remaining in an extremely critical phase," it reads.
The report says the key drivers of still unacceptably high levels of malnutrition include poor child feeding and care practices, poor WASH, high food prices and the effects of previous failed seasons.
A total of 78,896 children aged 6 to 59 months were admitted for management of moderate acute malnutrition.
According to the report, 36,725 were admitted for Severe Acute Malnutrition treatment from January to March 2024 in ASAL, refugee, and urban areas.
However, the admissions are lower in 2024 compared to the same period last year.
This has been attributed to scale-down of outreaches and mass screening coupled with improved nutrition situation, the report says.
An estimated 20,590 people (4,118 households) have been reached with lifesaving humanitarian assistance.
The humanitarian coordination hubs, co-chaired by the government and humanitarian partners, have been activated in the affected areas.
Multi-agency rapid assessments have been completed in Garissa, Kisumu, Tana River, and Turkana counties.
The 2024 ready-to-use therapeutic food pipeline is secure until November 2024, with the ready-to-use therapeutic food stock-out rates remaining below 5 percent (1.3% in March 2024).
The report says a total of 27,597 cartons of ready-to-use therapeutic food were distributed from January to March 2024.
It says the capacity building of health workers has been enhanced to enhance the quality of care in health facilities and continues to be ensured.
A total of 100 (32 male, 68 female) health workers have been trained on IMAM between January and March 2024
Surveillance, coordination and response monitoring are ongoing.
Most counties have continued to experience enhanced 2024 March–May rains.
The rains have had both negative and positive impacts.
It has led to flooding in 22 out of 47 counties.
The status report shows that at least 103,485 people (20,697 households) have been affected with floods.
These include 40,265 people (8,053 households) displaced, 32 who have lost their lives and 15 injured across the country as of April 18, as reported by the Kenya Red Cross Society.
Over 960 livestock have been killed, and 24,010 acres of croplands have been destroyed by floods and heavy rainfall.
Communities living in flood-prone areas have been advised to move to higher ground.
The Kenya Meteorological Department predicts that rainfall will persist across various regions of the country, with heavy downpours expected.
The report says food insecurity negatively affects food intake, more so among the vulnerable population including children, pregnant women, and lactating women.
It says inadequate food and nutrient intake in these populations leads to more vulnerabilities, such as wasting and disease infections, including anemia.
If not addressed with timely interventions, a high rate of mortality will likely occur.
Interventions that both prevent and treat malnutrition and disease, packaged in a multi-dimensional approach, are needed.