Nairobi: The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Aden Duale, has engaged in discussions with the World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director, Ms. Betty Ka, to bolster collaboration aimed at enhancing health, nutrition, and wellbeing outcomes for Kenyans, particularly focusing on vulnerable groups.
According to Kenya News Agency, Ms. Ka visited the CS at Afya House in Nairobi, where both leaders reaffirmed the robust partnership between the Government of Kenya and WFP. The discussions emphasized shared priorities and the complementarity of mandates to deliver coordinated and effective health and nutrition interventions nationwide.
CS Duale addressed the increasing nutrition vulnerabilities impacting children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers, especially in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs). He outlined the government's comprehensive response, highlighting efforts to mitigate the impacts of food insecurity, climate shocks, and disease burdens on nutrition outcomes.
Duale detailed key measures such as enhancing nutrition and health surveillance through the Kenya Health Information System, the electronic Community Health Information System, and the National Drought Management Authority's early warning data. The government is also pre-positioning essential health and nutrition commodities, expanding integrated outreach services, and deploying surge capacity to affected areas as needed.
The interventions are being carried out within the framework of Universal Health Coverage. Duale underscored the significant role of over 107,000 Community Health Promoters nationwide in ensuring timely identification and management of nutrition risks at the household and community levels.
The meeting further reviewed WFP's strategic role in supporting resource mobilization, anticipatory action, early warning systems, and supply chain resilience. With its global experience, WFP continues to assist Kenya in reinforcing national systems to enhance sustainability and resilience in the health and nutrition sector.
Discussions also included ongoing plans to develop a National Nutrition and Dietetics Policy, which aims to provide a unified approach to nutrition governance, financing, and service delivery, ensuring coherence and effectiveness across national and county governments.
CS Duale praised WFP for its ongoing technical and operational support, especially as Kenya pilots the World Health Organization 2023 Wasting Guidelines. These guidelines aim to standardize the management of severe and moderate acute malnutrition while strengthening community-based and integrated care models.
The meeting was also attended by the Principal Secretary, State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards, Ms. Mary Muthoni, along with other senior government and WFP officials.