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Local and international health stakeholders have expressed concerns over the increasing cases of stunted children below five years.

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) says Kenya has experienced four consecutive poor rainy seasons leading to 4.35 million Kenyans in acute food insecurity.

The inadequacy of rainfall has also led to one million children under five and pregnant and lactating women in severe malnutrition and 4.2 million people in critical need of water.

Mildred Irungu an Agriculture and Nutrition Specialist with USAID Kenya and East Africa office observed that across the region, people are facing extensive livestock losses, severe water shortages, and degraded pasture for livestock as a result of the drought.

Said she, “And it is already more difficult for families to afford the food they need due to a sharp increase in staple food prices. The result is millions of households in the region are falling into acute food insecurity and the erosion of decades of economic growth as households sell their assets to cope. These are extraordinary times, which call for extraordinary measures.”

She added, in response to the drought ravaging the country, the US government has contributed $356 million (Sh43 billion) in humanitarian assistance and invested $65 million (Sh7.8billion) in agriculture, water, and resilience.

According to the 2014 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (2014 KDHS), close to a third of children under five years representing  26 per cent  are stunted, while 11 per cent of the population  are underweight and four per cent are wasted.

Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) , a Swiss-based foundation launched at the United Nations in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition, observed that the situation hasn’t changed that much for the past eight years. “Though there has been considerable improvement in the micronutrients status of Kenyans from 1999 to 2011, Kenya is still,lagging behind  the global targets,” said Leah Kaguara GAIN Kenya Country Director.