by MARGARET CHIDERA
Kenya’s bold multisectoral nutrition governance over the past decade has captured international attention. From policy halls in Nairobi to villages in Turkana, the country’s efforts have become a case study in how governments, civil society, and researchers can align diverse sectors to improve health. At the center of this transformation is Dr. Jacob K. Korir, a nutrition governance expert whose research and advocacy have guided Kenya’s journey and inspired reforms across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr. Korir’s career bridges research, policy, and practice. A doctoral researcher at Texas Tech University, his dissertation broke new ground by examining how governance structures influence nutrition outcomes in developing countries, with findings that have since informed both national and county-level strategies in Kenya. He is also a widely published scholar, with recent articles in Nutrients and Public Health Nutrition mapping the drivers of governance and their links to child nutrition outcomes. These studies have become reference points for policymakers, demonstrating how stronger institutions and coordinated action can lead to measurable improvements in child growth and community resilience. “Nutrition is not just a health issue,” Dr. Korir explains. “It is the intersection of agriculture, education, water, sanitation, and governance. Kenya’s lesson is that progress comes when all these systems pull in the same direction.”
Kenya’s journey began in earnest after the 2010 Constitution expanded devolved governance, and the country committed to the World Health Assembly’s nutrition targets and the Sustainable Development Goals. At the time, nearly one in three children was chronically undernourished. Political goodwill was critical in the early breakthroughs, shifting nutrition from a technical concern within the Ministry of Health to a development issue debated at the Cabinet level. National Nutrition Action Plans provided the roadmap, while counties designed their own strategies. This meant that in Turkana, county officials began linking agricultural interventions directly to food security, while in Nairobi, mothers gained better access to integrated health and nutrition services at local clinics. According to Dr. Korir, this shift reflected years of advocacy and evidence generation. “When nutrition was recognized as a development priority, resources followed. But equally important was building accountability systems at both national and county levels,” he notes.
Partnerships underpinned Kenya’s progress. Civil society, donors, and development partners supplied expertise and financing, while government actors provided leadership and coordination. National and county platforms became spaces for dialogue and accountability. The results were visible as stunting rates began to decline, county budgets increasingly reflected nutrition priorities, and community programs gained traction. Yet challenges persist. Financing gaps continue to undermine plans, and frequent political transitions disrupt continuity. Each election cycle forces the nutrition community to rebuild momentum, and sustainability demands stronger domestic financing and institutional memory that can outlast politics.
Kenya’s experience is now shaping debates across the continent. Ethiopia, Uganda, and Tanzania are experimenting with similar models, borrowing lessons about devolution, financing, and cross-ministerial collaboration. Beyond Africa, Dr. Korir points to the United States as an example of scale and sustainability. Programs such as the National School Lunch Program and the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program integrate social protection, education, and health systems to combat malnutrition from multiple angles. For developing countries, the key takeaway is not to replicate U.S. programs wholesale, but to adopt principles such as sustainable financing, evidence-based targeting, and strong monitoring systems that adapt quickly to changing needs.
As Kenya reflects on a decade of multisectoral nutrition governance and considers ways of forging ahead, the future demands sustained commitment. Experts, including Dr. Korir, emphasize that nutrition must remain a political priority despite leadership changes, that domestic financing must expand to reduce dependency on donors, and that capacity at county and community levels must be strengthened to ensure governance is more than a national conversation. Equally important, accountability must remain non-negotiable, with progress tracked not just in activities but in outcomes that transform lives.
Kenya’s story remains a work in progress, but it offers a valuable blueprint for nations seeking to embed nutrition in their development agendas. It demonstrates that multisectoral governance is not about producing endless policy documents, but about creating systems that serve the people. Experts like Dr. Korir’s contributions—spanning academia, policy, and practice—highlight the critical role of thought leaders in driving national transformation.
As countries across Africa look to strengthen their own systems, it is pertinent to consider lessons from Kenya’s nutrition governance reforms. These lessons are not abstract policy prescriptions but lived realities. Dr. Korir’s work demonstrates how research, when applied in practice, can transform systems and enhance communities. “Governance is ultimately about people,” he emphasizes. “It is about connecting a farmer’s harvest to a child’s growth, a clean water source to a mother’s health, and school meals to national productivity.”
