The UN has warned that 36 million Kenyans are faced with uncertainty about getting food, are at risk of skipping meals or might be forced to compromise their nutrition.
The number is an increase from 25.4 million Kenyans in a similar situation in 2016.
“Already in the mid-2010s, hunger had started creeping upwards, dashing hopes of irreversible decline. Disturbingly, in 2020 hunger shot up in both absolute and proportional terms, outpacing population growth,” the latest report states.
“Gender inequality deepened: for every 10 food-insecure men, there were 11 food-insecure women in 2020 up from 10.6 in 2019”.
‘The state of food security and nutrition in the world’ report released on Tuesday suggests at least 13.5 million Kenyans faced starvation in 2020, with some having to go without food for a day or more.
This is an increase from 8.3 million in 2016.
The report is jointly prepared by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the UN World Food Programme and the World Health Organization.
According to the report, the number of Kenyans undernourished rose to 13 million in 2020 from 10.4 million in 2006 while the number of children aged below five affected by wasting (too thin for their height) in 2020 was 300,000.
Similarly, the number of adults aged above 18 years who were obese stood at 1.8 million in 2016, up from 1.3 million in 2012 while the number of women of reproductive age aged between 18 years and 49 years affected by anaemia rose to 3.9 million in 2019 from 3.1 million in 2012.
The number of children under five years who are stunted (too short for their age) stood at 1.4 million in 2020 down from two million in 2012, while the number of those who are overweight has remained relatively the same between 2012 and 2020.
The report notes that 900,000 children aged zero to five months are exclusively breastfed, a rise from 500,000 in 2012, while 200,000 babies were born with low birth weight in 2015. The number was the same in 2012.
“Globally, despite progress in some areas, more infants, for example, are being fed exclusively on breast milk. The world is not on track to achieve targets for any nutrition indicators by 2030,” the report states.
It adds: “In many parts of the world, the pandemic has triggered brutal recessions and jeopardised access to food. Yet even before the pandemic, hunger was spreading; progress on malnutrition lagged.”
Countries affected by conflict, climate extremes or other economic downturns were the worst hit, with Kenya having been affected by the locust invasion that has seen low food production.
The report highlights the need to boost food value chains in poor communities through technology transfers and certification programmes as well as changing consumer behaviour such as by eliminating industrial trans fats and reducing the salt and sugar content in the food supply, or protecting children from the negative impact of food marketing.
The UN also calls for offering small-scale farmers wide access to climate risk insurance and forecast-based financing and strengthening the resilience of the most vulnerable to economic adversity.
This can be done through in-kind or cash support programmes to lessen the impact of pandemic-style shocks or food price volatility.
