The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Aden Duale, has held talks with the World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director, Ms Betty Ka, aimed at strengthening collaboration to improve health, nutrition, and overall wellbeing outcomes for Kenyans, with a special focus on vulnerable populations.
Ms Ka paid a courtesy call on the CS at Afya House in Nairobi, where the two leaders reaffirmed the strong partnership between the Government of Kenya and WFP. The engagement underscored shared priorities, mutual respect, and the complementarity of mandates in delivering coordinated, efficient, and high-impact health and nutrition interventions across the country.
Addressing the growing nutrition vulnerabilities affecting children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers, particularly in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), CS Duale outlined the government’s scaled-up and multi-pronged response. \
He noted that the Ministry of Health is intensifying efforts to mitigate the effects of food insecurity, climate shocks, and disease burden on nutrition outcomes.
“Key measures include strengthening nutrition and health surveillance through the Kenya Health Information System (KHIS), the electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS), and the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) early warning data,” said Duale.
He added that the government is also pre-positioning essential health and nutrition commodities, expanding integrated outreach services, and deploying surge capacity to affected areas when required.
According to the CS, these interventions are being implemented within the framework of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). He emphasised the critical role played by more than 107,000 Community Health Promoters nationwide, who form the backbone of last-mile service delivery and ensure timely identification and management of nutrition risks at household and community levels.
The meeting also reviewed WFP’s strategic contribution in supporting resource mobilisation, anticipatory action, early warning systems, and supply chain resilience. Drawing on its global experience, WFP continues to support Kenya in strengthening national systems to enhance long-term sustainability and resilience in the health and nutrition sector.
Discussions further covered ongoing plans to develop a National Nutrition and Dietetics Policy. The policy is expected to provide a unified, life-course approach to nutrition governance, financing, and service delivery, ensuring greater coherence and effectiveness across national and county governments.
Meanwhile, CS Duale commended WFP for its continued technical and operational support, particularly as Kenya pilots the World Health Organization (WHO) 2023 Wasting Guidelines. The guidelines aim to harmonise the management of severe acute malnutrition and moderate acute malnutrition while strengthening community-based and integrated models of care.
The meeting was also attended by the Principal Secretary, State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards, Ms Mary Muthoni, alongside other senior government and WFP officials.
By Michael Omondi
