Only three government institutions appear to have complied with the law that requires all employers to establish breastfeeding rooms in the workplace.
Only the ministry, Kenyatta National Hospital and the Nandi county government have complied, a report by the Ministry of Health shows.
About 50 corporate organisations and 14 NGOs have also complied.
It is possible some other state institutions not listed have had the breastfeeding spaces before the law was enacted in 2017.
“The Health Act, 2017 requires all employers to establish lactation rooms in the workplace that are adequately provided with necessary equipment and facilities including handwashing equipment, appropriate cooling facilities, electrical outlets for breast pumps, a small table and comfortable seats,” the ministry said.
The guidelines are expected to contribute to the reduction of child morbidity and mortality, hence improve child survival.
The ministry update was issued last week ahead of this week’s World Breastfeeding Week.
The World Health Organization and Unicef separately said exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continued breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond offer a powerful line of defence against all forms of child malnutrition, including wasting and obesity.
“Breastfeeding also acts as babies’ first vaccine, protecting them against many common childhood illnesses,” Unicef executive director Henrietta Fore and WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a joint statement.
This year’s World Breastfeeding Week themed ‘Protect Breastfeeding: A Shared Responsibility’, is seen as a time to revisit the commitments made at the start of this year by prioritising breastfeeding-friendly environments for mothers and babies, the joint statement says.
“While there has been progress in breastfeeding rates in the last four decades – with a 50 per cent increase in the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding globally – the Covid-19 pandemic highlights the fragility of those gains,” the two say.
They said in many countries, the pandemic caused significant disruptions in breastfeeding support services while increasing the risk of food insecurity and malnutrition.
Several countries have reported that producers of baby foods have compounded these risks by invoking unfounded fears that breastfeeding can transmit Covid-19 and marketing their products as a safer alternative, they said.
“As we approach the UN Food Systems Summit in September and the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit in December, governments, donors, civil society and the private sector all have an opportunity to make smart investments and commitments to tackle the global malnutrition crisis that includes protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding through stronger policies, programmes and actions,” Ghebreyesus said.
Edited by A.N
