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The Ministry of Health has come up with a comprehensive long-term plan aimed at combating malnutrition in the country.

The plan is undertaken by the Division of Nutrition and Dietetics at Afya House.

Known as the Kenya Nutrition Action Plan (KNAP) 2023-2027, the multisectoral plan follows the successful implementation of the previous KNAP 2018-2022 which resulted in significant progress in reducing malnutrition, particularly the prevalence of stunting which reduced from 26% in 2014 to 18% in 2022, according to the ministry.

“The KNAP 2023-2027 is a comprehensive five-year plan that will employ a multi-sectoral approach to accelerate and scale up efforts in combating malnutrition and promoting good nutrition practices across the life course,” a statement by the ministry on its X handle, said.

“It will build on successes and lessons learned from the implementation of the previous KNAP. The development process has been widely consultative collecting proposals from multisectoral nutrition stakeholders at both the national and county level.”

Malnutrition workshop

The Ministry organised a workshop that began on Monday, June 17, 2024, where stakeholders are expected to define priority areas, key outcomes, and strategic objectives for the KNAP.

“Detailed strategies and interventions will be proposed to effectively achieve these objectives, supported by performance indicators to monitor progress. Additionally, comprehensive activities for each objective will be outlined,” the statement added.

Stakeholders

Key stakeholders engaged in the planning process are drawn from ministries, departments and agencies – Health; Agriculture and Livestock Development; Labour and Social Protection; Education; Trade; Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs; KEBS, NACONEK, Kenyatta National Hospital.

Kenyatta University and Baraton University represent the academia while key partner organizations include UNICEF, WHO, Save the Children, GAIN, Nutrition International, Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN)Networks, Action against Hunger (ACF), International Rescue Committee (IRC), KANCO, USAID-Momentum, and Breakthrough Action.

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