MoH flags off food supplements to Turkana, Baringo counties

The Ministry of Health on Friday flagged off a consignment of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) nutritional supplements to Turkana and Baringo counties.

The consignment consists of 3,597 cartons destined to 177 health facilities in Turkana and 1,447 cartons to 69 facilities in Baringo county.

The consignment was flagged off by the Principal Secretary, State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muthoni.

The consignment valued at Sh27,876,750 has been procured jointly by the ministry and UNICEF and is adequate to treat 5,444 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) also dispatched 1,142 cartons to 141 health facilities aiming to treat 356 children affected in Kisumu, Nairobi and other counties.

According to the food security and nutrition situation assessment conducted in July 2023, approximately 945,610 children aged 6 to 59 months are acutely malnourished.

These children require treatment due to unprecedented and prolonged drought conditions, marked by five consecutive failed rain seasons since 2021.

The PS noted that among these children, 23 per cent are severely malnourished and need treatment with Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF).

"Additionally,2,786,550 people, constituting 17 per cent of the population, are grappling with high acute malnutrition and urgently require intervention," Muthoni said.

Turkana county has the highest caseloads of 103,322 children aged 6-59 months requiring the treatment.

"Specifically targeting severely affected areas, especially children, this joint effort by the ministry and UNICEF reflects the government’s commitment to a swift and coordinated response to alleviate the impact on vulnerable populations,” Muthoni said.

The supplies are aimed at contributing to the ongoing efforts to address nutritional needs of affected communities during this critical period as the country continues to suffer from the impact of El Nino rains.

Ready to Use Therapeutic Food are life-saving essential supplies are used to treat severe wasting in children under the age of five years old.

Wasting is defined as low weight-for-height and happens when someone has not had enough food or had food of adequate quality.

The procurement and distribution of RUTF highlight government's and partners' commitment in addressing the complex challenge of malnutrition.

The PS has called on more partners to join the ministry in promptly addressing health and nutrition needs in affected regions.

This, she said, will be done through scaling up integrated health and nutrition outreaches, engaging in risk communication and community outreach for disease prevention.

Conducting community-based surveillance for sanitation-related diseases, providing mental health support and distributing WASH commodities are other key areas of intervention.