“Hunger Can Kill”

With Nearly 2 million Kenyans Facing Food Insecurity, Children Bear the Brunt of Malnutrition

As a baby in Isiolo County, Kenya, Clinton was abandoned by his mother and left for dead. When his grandmother found him, he was just a shell of himself.

The mother suffered from addiction, and she faced mental health challenges and extreme stress as Clinton’s health rapidly deteriorated.  She didn’t have the resources to feed her child.

Isiolo County, only four hours north of Nairobi, is faces “crisis” levels of hunger. Flooding in the county particularly devastated water and sanitation facilities. Many people are sick with dysentery, diarrhea, or waterborne illnesses like malaria, which has impacted almost 37% of Isiolo’s population. Families have little access to nutritious food, and children across the county are facing severe malnutrition.

Nearly 1.9 million people in Kenya—or 12% of the population—are facing acute food insecurity and in need of urgent humanitarian aid. Hunger has escalated in recent months following severe flooding last year, which drove displacement, destroyed infrastructure, and left death in its wake. Rising food prices, resource-based conflicts, clean water scarcity, and disease outbreaks have also fueled the crisis.

When she found him, Clinton’s grandmother, Mary, said, “His skin was like that of a frog. He was so dark. I thought he was suffering from some other ailment, but we found out it was malnutrition.”

Clinton was sleeping in his grandmother’s lap one morning when a Community Health Promoter visited the household during a routine visit. Trained by Action Against Hunger, the Community Health Promoter was able to quickly detect malnutrition in the small child. She used a color-coded mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) band—essentially a malnutrition measuring tape—and wrapped it around Clinton’s skinny arm. He was simply skin and bones.

“Hunger can actually kill,” said Mary. She makes ends meet by working menial farming jobs and has little money to support her family.

Mary rushed Clinton to the local health facility, where health workers responded quickly and enrolled him in nutrition treatment.

The medical team gave Clinton  Plumpy’Nut, a peanut-based, calorie-dense paste often given to severely malnourished children. It was a drastic difference from his usual meal: soil.

“When I brought him home, I fed him Plumpy’Nut. He ate the days ration in one moment,” said Mary. “He used to have a lot of diarrhea since he was eating dirt at home. I learned that’s what he was eating when he had no food.”

“He was eating dirt at home. I learned that’s what he was eating when he had no food.”

Health workers at the facility were taught by Action Against Hunger to detect and treat malnutrition. They conducted a thorough assessment on Clinton to check for other diseases. Mary was scheduled for counselling sessions on nutrition and hygiene, where she learned how to use a MUAC band herself.

After only a month, Clinton’s condition had seriously improved. Now, he’s two years old, and he’s a completely healthy toddler. His weight has been restored and he’s eating fulfilling meals daily. He’s grown a lot taller, and he’s becoming quite a talkative and energetic child.

“I was trained on how to feed Clinton and ensure his nutrition levels remain high,” said Mary. “I feed him beans, milk, fruits, potatoes, eggs, and other traditional vegetables.”

Today, Mary shares what she’s learned about malnutrition with other caregivers at a Mother to Mother support group. After, she tends to her kitchen garden, where she has planted healthy and nutritious vegetables to cook for Clinton. When she’s not there, she can be found on the couch with her grandson in his favorite spot:  her lap. To the toddler, it’s the safest place in the world. Whenever Mary sits down, he quickly cuddles close and babbles to her using all the words he’s learned so far.

“When I use the MUAC band, I see Clinton’s progress,” says Mary. “My grandson has a new lease on life.”

Action Against Hunger in Kenya

Action Against Hunger has worked in Kenya since 2002. Last year, we reached over 900,000 people through programs aimed at treating malnutrition, improving livelihoods, increasing access to clean water and sanitation, teaching farmers to combat climate change, and linking community members with local markets.

Action Against Hunger worked with UNICEF to implement a one-year emergency drought response project in Isiolo, Mandera and West Pokot Counties. The project ended in February 2024. Through this effort, our health workers reached over 20,7000 people like Clinton in need of malnutrition screenings and other emergency interventions.