CS Duale Holds Talks with WFP to Strengthen Health and Nutrition Interventions
Nairobi, Kenya - - Health Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale held discussions with the World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director, Ms Betty Ka, during her courtesy call at Afya House, Nairobi, aimed at deepening collaboration to improve health, nutrition, and overall wellbeing outcomes for Kenyans, particularly vulnerable communities.
The engagement reaffirmed the strong partnership between the Government of Kenya and WFP, anchored on shared priorities, mutual respect, and the complementarity of mandates to ensure coordinated and high-impact interventions.
Addressing the growing nutrition vulnerabilities affecting children, pregnant and breastfeeding women especially in arid and semi-arid regions CS Duale outlined the Government’s scaled-up, multi-pronged response. Key measures include strengthening nutrition and health surveillance through the Kenya Health Information System (KHIS), the electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS), and National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) early warning data; pre-positioning essential health and nutrition commodities; expanding integrated outreach services; and deploying surge capacity where required.
These interventions are being implemented within the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) framework, leveraging a nationwide network of more than 107,000 Community Health Promoters who form the backbone of last-mile service delivery.
The meeting also reviewed WFP’s strategic role in supporting resource mobilisation, anticipatory action, early warning mechanisms, and supply chain resilience, drawing on its global expertise while strengthening national systems to enhance long-term sustainability and resilience.
In addition, discussions covered ongoing plans to develop a National Nutrition and Dietetics Policy, which will provide a unified, life-course approach to nutrition governance, financing, and service delivery across the country.
CS Duale commended WFP for its continued technical and operational support, particularly as Kenya pilots the WHO 2023 Wasting Guidelines aimed at harmonising the management of Severe Acute Malnutrition and Moderate Acute Malnutrition, while strengthening community-based and integrated models of care.
The meeting was also attended by the Principal Secretary, State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards, Ms Mary Muthoni.