Makueni Secures Funding to fight Malnutrition

Makueni has secured a Sh 30 million funding from Nutrition International to scale up efforts towards elimination of malnutrition in the next three years.

The grant is complimentary to the county’s Sh 36 million for the same cause, and which is meant to actualize the implementation of the County Nutrition Action Plan (CNAP) unveiled late 2019.

The Makueni CNAP targets the reduction of the prevalence of stunting among children under five years by 40%, childhood wasting to less than 5%, childhood underweight to less than 10%, and reduce malnutrition among older children and adolescent by 15%.

According to the Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2014, the prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight in Makueni County was 25.1%, 2.1% and 10.2% respectively.

The funding agreement was signed today in Nairobi by the executive for Finance Mary Kimanzi and executive for Health Services Dr. Andrew Mulwa for the county government and witnessed by governor Kivutha Kibwana, deputy governor Adelina Mwau and the Nutrition International President Joel Spicer.

The county has also received 30,000 Euros (Sh 3.2 million) funding from Hivos East Africa to finance the Makueni Mango and indigenous food festival scheduled for this month at the Makueni Fruit Processing Plant, Kalamba.

The overall objective of the food festival is to promote mango production and consumption of indigenous food in Makueni, governor Kibwana has said.

The festival seeks to stimulate the rediscovery of the value of the Mango and indigenous foods through showcasing the rich gastronomic heritage of the Akamba and marketing the County as a Mango County and presenting the opportunities in the Mango value chain.