A growing number of counties are facing rising cases of child malnutrition as drought conditions continue to disrupt food access, with new government data pointing to a mixed picture of worsening trends in some areas and slight improvements in others across the country.
The National Drought Management Authority, in its latest National Drought Early Warning Bulletin, indicates that at least seven counties are seeing a rise in malnutrition among children.
These include Garissa, Isiolo, Wajir, Embu, Kilifi, Narok and Tharaka Nithi, where households are struggling to provide balanced diets due to shrinking food availability and reduced milk intake.
The report shows that more than half of the monitored counties are now reporting child malnutrition levels that are above the usual seasonal range.
In counties such as Mandera, Kwale, Marsabit, Lamu, Turkana, Meru, Kitui and Kilifi, the share of children at risk, measured through Mid-Upper Arm Circumference, remains higher than long-term averages, pointing to sustained vulnerability.
At the national level, the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey indicates that 18 per cent of children under five are stunted, five per cent are wasted, and 10 per cent are underweight. These figures reflect ongoing challenges linked to both chronic and short-term forms of undernutrition affecting young children.
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition notes that the country is dealing with multiple forms of malnutrition at the same time, including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and increasing cases of overweight and obesity. This has left about 1.13 million children under five affected by stunting, showing the scale of long-term nutrition problems.
Nutrition experts continue to warn that inequalities between regions remain wide. In some arid and semi-arid counties, wasting rates can exceed 20 per cent, while in more stable regions the levels can be as low as one per cent, according to UNICEF Kenya. These differences reflect unequal access to food, healthcare and support services across counties.
The NDMA bulletin links the worsening situation not only to food shortages, but also to limited healthcare access, higher disease cases and poor infant and young child feeding practices. These combined challenges continue to affect nutrition outcomes, especially in vulnerable households.
Even with the overall concerns, some counties have recorded progress in recent months. Baringo, Lamu, Marsabit, Meru, Samburu, Tana River, Turkana, Kwale, Laikipia, Makueni and West Pokot have shown better nutrition indicators. This improvement has been associated with outreach health programmes that have expanded services such as nutrition screening, supplementation and early treatment.
Other counties, including Mandera, Kajiado, Kitui, Nyeri and Taita Taveta, have maintained steady trends without major changes in nutrition status. However, the report cautions that conditions in some of these areas could shift if drought effects continue to intensify.
Drought monitoring data shows that Mandera, Wajir, Kilifi and Kwale are currently in the alarm phase, reflecting severe drought conditions. Another 13 counties, including Garissa, Isiolo, Turkana and Tharaka Nithi, are in the alert phase, while Laikipia and Narok fall under pre-alert conditions. Counties such as Makueni, Nyeri, Embu and Meru remain in the normal phase, though early warning signs of deterioration have been observed in Meru.
Estimates further indicate that about 847,000 children in Kenya are currently facing acute malnutrition, with arid and semi-arid counties bearing the heaviest burden. Repeated drought cycles, limited food diversity and gaps in child feeding practices continue to drive the situation in many parts of the country.