Kenya is grappling with a severe public health crisis: a "triple burden" of child malnutrition that includes undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and a significant rise in overnutrition, particularly overweight and obesity. This alarming trend is evident across various age groups, posing long-term health risks.

• 3% of children under five in Kenya are overweight, with Nyeri, Nyamira, Kisii, and Nairobi counties reporting the highest prevalence at 6% each, according to the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS).
• UNICEF Kenya Country Representative, Shaheen Nilofer, has called for an urgent and unified multisectoral response, emphasizing the need for stronger regulation of Kenya’s food environment.
• The World Obesity Atlas 2022 projects that by 2030, over one million Kenyan children aged 5 to 19 will be living with obesity. This year, obesity globally surpassed underweight as the more prevalent form of malnutrition, affecting 1 in 10, or 188 million, school-aged children and adolescents.