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Govt registers children under-five years in Marsabit for nutrition programme

Locals collect water at a secured borehole in Moyale, Marsabit (Photo: Munyaradzi Makoni)

By Waweru Wairimu | Friday, June 7, 2024

Increasing the cash disbursements by Sh1,000 to Sh3,700, he said, will enable the parents to meet the basic needs of their children to protect them from malnourishment.

Children of 4,000 beneficiaries of the state's Hunger Safety Net Programme (HSNP) in Marsabit County will now be catered for in a project set to curb acute malnutrition in the region.

Hunger Safety Net Programme 2 is one of the five cash transfers under the National Safety Nets Programme (NSNP) to support some of the most vulnerable and poor households in Northern Kenya.

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The National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) rolled out registration of the children aged below five years to enable them to benefit from a nutrition component under HSNP.

County NDMA Coordinator Guyo Golicha reiterated that the inclusion of the nutrition aspect in the cash transfer programme was driven by the acute malnutrition in the region.

Increasing the cash disbursements by Sh1,000 to Sh3,700, he said, will enable the parents to meet the basic needs of their children to protect them from malnourishment.

"The extra Sh1,000 will enable them to purchase nutritious food for the children who are at risk of getting malnourished due to food insecurity and poverty," Guyo said, adding that the government was keen on addressing malnutrition through the rollout of similar programmes.

Guyo implored the beneficiaries to visit their chief's offices to update their details to facilitate the process.

The project is being undertaken by NDMA in partnership with UNICEF and the County Health Department.

Of the beneficiaries, 1095 are from Moyale, 1059 from Laisamis, 888 from Saku, and 866 from North Horr, out of which Ileret got 92.

Malnutrition is caused by, among others, low uptake of supplements, high child morbidity, and poor feeding practices due to hunger.

The Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate in the county stands at 53 per cent and is among the highest in Africa, according to data from the Kenya Red Cross.

Among the most affected areas within the arid and semi-arid counties is Marsabit, which grapples with access to safe and nutritious diets due to high poverty levels and a perennial drought. These conditions cause residents to suffer unprecedented losses and also render them food insecure.

Past reports show North Horr and Laisamis constituencies have the highest number of malnourished children. A survey done by the County Department of Health in 2019 found that a third of children in Laisamis are acutely malnourished.

When drought strikes, men leave with the animals in search of water and pastures, leaving women behind to take care of their children, who hardly access milk and other nutritious foods.