deshola NAIROBI severe cuts to U.S. foreign aid have badly disrupted access to critical treatments for severely malnourished children in Kenya’s drought-hit Turkana region, raising alarm among health officials and humanitarian organisations about long-term impacts on child health and survival.
The reductions, triggered by a U.S. executive order that paused much of the country’s foreign assistance, have left clinics struggling with shortages of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), a peanut-based nutrient paste essential for treating acute malnutrition. At several facilities, shelves were empty for months, forcing families to turn to wild foraged foods and pushing some children back into life-threatening conditions.
While some funding has since been restored, gaps in supplies and mass screening efforts persist jeopardising early detection and treatment of malnutrition and threatening irreversible developmental harm in young children.
Strengthening Local Supply Chains and Stock Resilience
One immediate priority is to bolster national and regional supply chains for therapeutic nutrition. Kenya’s Ministry of Health and partners can work with African Union agencies, regional economic blocs, and private sector suppliers to diversify sources of RUTF and expand local production capacity. This reduces dependency on a single overseas donor and builds resilience against future funding shocks.
Greater involvement of local manufacturers, supported by technology transfer and quality control partnerships with UNICEF and other international bodies, could accelerate production and reduce delivery delays. Officials should also develop strategic stockpiles for humanitarian food supplies, ensuring that drought-affected counties have reserve inventories during seasonal peaks in malnutrition.
Mobilising Diverse Funding and Shared Responsibility
The crisis highlights the need for broader donor engagement. With the U.S. historically underwriting about half of the global therapeutic food supply, other bilateral partners and multilateral institutions such as the EU, World Bank, and African Development Bank must step up funding commitments. Coordinated donor pledges could backfill immediate gaps while longer-term financing mechanisms such as pooled nutrition funds can provide predictability for malnutrition programmes.
Engaging philanthropic foundations and impact investors can also expand the resource base for child nutrition and community health interventions.
Investing in Community Outreach and Early Detection
Aid disruptions have not only affected food supplies but also scaled back mass screening campaigns that identify children at risk before conditions become severe. Restoring and expanding community‐level outreach is critical. Local health teams, supported by NGOs and county health networks, should be empowered to conduct frequent growth monitoring, education campaigns on early warning signs, and referrals to care.
This effort should include training and incentives for community health volunteers who can detect malnutrition early, encourage clinic attendance, and deliver targeted counselling to caregivers.
Strengthening Government Health Budgets and Services
Long-term sustainability requires that the Kenyan government increase domestic funding for nutrition and primary health services. While external aid can be catalytic, embedding nutrition programmes within national budget frameworks including ring-fenced allocations for RUTF, screening, and treatment can mitigate the impact of future donor volatility.
Kenyan health authorities and county governments are already navigating budgetary pressures, and partnerships with civil society and private health providers can help maintain service continuity in underserved areas.
Promoting Climate and Livelihood Resilience
Underlying drivers of malnutrition, including recurring droughts and livestock losses in pastoralist regions like Turkana, demand integrated climate-resilience strategies. Investments in drought-resistant agriculture, water infrastructure, and diversified livelihood programmes can reduce food insecurity and buffer families against climate shocks.
Enhanced Regional Coordination and Monitoring
Finally, stronger regional coordination through bodies like the East African Community (EAC) and the African Union can enable data sharing, joint procurement, and harmonised nutrition policies. A unified approach to food security and health emergencies increases negotiating power with suppliers and donors, and improves responsiveness to crises.
