Kenya has the highest number of people skipping meals or surviving without essential diets in East Africa, and is second only to South Sudan in the number of people classified as food insufficient.
This is according to a new report by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (Agra), which shows that of the 33 million people classified as food insufficient in the five East African countries, 13.6 million are Kenyans.
The report by Agra and its partners, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development (USAid), found that by June 2024, South Sudan will have the highest proportion of its population living in food insufficiency (32.73 percent), followed by Kenya with 26.46 percent of its population living in food insufficiency.
The report analysed the prevalence of food insufficiency in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and South Sudan within the East African region.
“As of June 30, 2024, the number of people across five selected East African countries who did not have sufficient food for consumption was 33 million, a 100,000 more people over May. This signifies a deterioration in the food insecurity situation across these select countries, driven mainly by South Sudan,” the report notes.
In June, 21.14 percent of the Rwandan population was classified as food insufficient, while 18.74 percent of Ugandans and 9.24 percent of Tanzanians were also living in difficult conditions, having to skip meals or survive on limited diets.
According to the report, people with insufficient food consumption are those with poor or borderline food consumption according to the Food Consumption Score (FCS), which measures the diversity of household diets and the frequency with which food is consumed.
The FCS looks at the frequency with which a household consumes eight food groups in the week prior to the survey to classify households as having ‘poor’, ‘borderline’ or ‘acceptable’ food consumption. A household is considered to have a poor diet if it does not consume staple foods and vegetables every day and never or rarely consumes protein-rich foods such as meat and dairy products, while a household is considered to have a borderline diet if it consumes staple foods and vegetables every day and oils and pulses a few times a week.
While the organisations note that the current level of food insecurity across the region is lower than in June last year, when 42.9 million people were food insecure, they point out that Kenya has seen a huge increase in the number of people affected over the past two years.
“Except for Kenya, all other East African countries have registered declines in the prevalence of people with insufficient food consumption over the past year,” Agra notes.
Within the region, the report notes, Kenya has seen a 74.36 percent increase in the number of food-insufficient people, while countries such as Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda have seen a decrease in the number of food-insufficient people compared to the situation in 2022.
The main drivers of hunger and food insufficiency in East Africa remain conflict – which is rampant in South Sudan – seasonal dynamics such as floods and droughts, and macroeconomic shocks such as trade disruptions.
“Above average rains in some parts of the region may have affected the ease of movement of crops impacting prices,” the report notes.
In Kenya, the report notes that food insufficiency remains critical across the country, with flood-affected areas, particularly Garissa, Tana River and Mandera counties, facing crisis levels.
“In South Sudan, emergency phase outcomes persist in 28 counties and catastrophe phase outcomes are likely in Pibor County of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) and among returnee households due to low seasonal food supplies, insecurity affecting ground transportation and the suspension of UNHAS airdrops in April, and deteriorating economic conditions,” the report said.
The reports of food shortages within Kenya come even as the Ministry of Agriculture continues to report improved harvests of maize, rice, beans, potatoes, sorghum, millet and avocados for the 2023 harvest season, and predicts further increases in production of some key food crops this year.
The ministry expects maize production to reach 50 million 90kg bags this year, up from 47.6 million bags last year and 34.3 million bags in 2022.
According to the latest data from the Central Bank of Kenya, the ministry also expects wheat production to grow by 55.8 percent to 5.35 million bags in 2024, sorghum by 48.1 percent to 3.26 million bags and potato production to reach 29 million bags this year.
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Inside Tanzania’s Life-Saving Birthcare Model
Tanzania is winning the battle against maternal and newborn deaths, as the latest numbers reveal a significant decline.
“Tanzania is committed to reducing maternal and newborn mortality and ensuring safe deliveries as part of the national development plan. The Safer Births Bundle of Care is one of the key strategies supporting this effort,” said Dr. Benjamin Kamala, the Senior Research Scientist at Haydom Lutheran Hospital and Principal Investigator for the program, leading its implementation across five regions in Tanzania.
A groundbreaking study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that the innovative health program in Tanzania – centered on regular, on-the-job training for healthcare workers – reduced maternal deaths by 75% and early newborn deaths by 40%. The three-year study, conducted across 30 high-burden healthcare facilities in Tanzania, tracked approximately 300,000 mother-baby pairs under the Safer Births Bundle of Care (SBBC) programme. The programme focuses on improving care for mothers and babies during the day of birth, the critical time when a woman goes into labor and delivers her baby.
Maternal health is a key focus of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Target 3.1, which aims to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to fewer than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.
Tanzania’s program combines continuous, simulation-based training for frontline healthcare workers alongside innovative clinical tools to improve labour monitoring (fetal heart rate monitoring) and newborn resuscitation.It also uses data to drive ongoing improvements, ensuring that healthcare workers have the skills, confidence, and competence to manage birth-related complications for both mothers and newborns.
“We work closely with healthcare workers, equipping them with the necessary tools to improve the quality of care, ensuring they can effectively manage both mothers and babies during and after childbirth,” Dr. Kamala said, which helps them build on over a decade of innovative research and collaboration to improve care during childbirth.
“To give you a sense of the scale of the burden of maternal and newborn mortality in Tanzania when the Safer Births Bundles of Care program was in early development in 2015/16, there were around 556 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births and 25 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births,” he said.
The published study demonstrates the “transformative impact” of the Safer Births Bundle of Care program conducted across 30 hospitals in five high-burden regions of Tanzania, where there were about 300,000 mother-baby pairs.
Maternal deaths at the start of the program were recorded at 240 per 100,000 live births, with postpartum hemorrhage and hypertensive disorders being the leading causes of death, he said. Over the 24-month study period, this number dropped to approximately 60 per 100,000 live births, representing a 75% reduction. The number of newborn deaths – which are primarily due to breathing difficulties and complications related to prematurity – declined by 40% – from 7 deaths per 1,000 live births to 4 deaths per 1,000 live births.
“These results are remarkable,” Dr. Kamala said.
According to Dr. Kamala, the 75% reduction in maternal deaths was not expected, and a key lesson was the important role of the in-situ team simulations – including for postpartum bleeding – with reflective debriefings that trained facilitators led.
“This seems to be a major part of the success of the program,” he said. “We are delighted by these results and hope that other countries adopt and scale the Safer Births Bundle of Care program… Beyond the numbers, the Safer Births Bundle of Care program has fostered a dramatic culture shift in our healthcare system,” he said. “Healthcare workers are now more confident and better equipped to handle birth-related complications for both mothers and babies.”
Maternal death drop
Dr. Kamala attributed the 60-70% reduction in newborn deaths in Geita and Manyara to several factors.
“Firstly, Manyara was the first site for implementation, giving the region more time to adapt and experience the impact of the program. Most importantly, both regions had a high burden of stillbirths and neonatal deaths, making them ideal targets for focused intervention. As a result, newborn deaths decreased by 60-70%, showcasing a clear positive impact on newborn survival,” he said.
Dr. Kamala said another possible explanation is the differences in the culture of practices, where some health facilities reported inaccurate data due to the fear of blame and shame. However, with the project’s implementation, reporting became more accurate after mplementation. Some regions, such as Tabora, reported an increase in the number of referrals to the study hospitals from other care centers after the program was implemented. These were more likely to be late admissions, which increase the likelihood of poor health outcomes, he said.
After the implementation of the program, there was a 40% decrease in newborn deaths within the first 24 hours after birth, according to the study.
Dr. Kamala said Tanzania’s remarkable progress in reducing maternal mortality by 80% is driven by strategic investments and innovative programs focused on improving maternal and child survival rates.
“Over 2,000 new healthcare facilities have been developed, free health services are being provided to expectant mothers and children under the age of five, and emergency obstetric care – including better transport to hospitals in rural areas are helping to ensure timely, life-saving interventions.
“Most importantly, the Ministry of Health works in collaboration with healthcare workers, hospitals, and development partners to strengthen the skills of frontline healthcare workers, which has been a key factor in driving this progress.
“Political leadership, alongside strategic partnerships and financing, has been crucial in driving progress in maternal and newborn health,” he said.
The program was made possible by the support of the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children, and Adolescents, Norad, UNICEF, and Laerdal Global Health, as well as the Ministry of Health and Haydom Lutheran Hospital. Their partnership and investment enabled the scaling of the Safer Births Bundle of Care to 30 hospitals and supported the research. “The government has now scaled the program to over 150 sites, and there are plans for further expansion to three regions this year and then nationally,” he said.
Dr. Kamala outlined key policy recommendations for other governments can adopt to prioritize maternal health.
“Firstly, it focuses on cost-effective and relatively simple interventions that are essential to preventing maternal and newborn deaths. For example, stronger primary healthcare that is delivered in the community and a well-trained healthcare workforce are also critical. Additionally, working in close collaboration with national, regional, and local health authorities is key.”
He said Tanzania’s approach, where the Safer Births Bundle of Care program was successfully scaled and sustained by aligning the initiative with national guidelines for obstetrical and newborn care. In addition, the creation of mentorship programs and regular supervision has helped to sustain the results.
Looking ahead
Tanzania now plans to expand to three new regions in 2025, followed by a nationwide rollout.
The success of the program has attracted interest from other countries, with Botswana, Ethiopia, Lesotho, and Namibia expressing interest in adapting the program to their healthcare system. In Nigeria, the program has already been launched in two states, Gombe and Borno, marking a significant step in its scaling.
Source: allafrica.com
Tanzania Declares End of Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak
Tanzania today declared the end of Marburg virus disease outbreak after recording no new cases over 42 days since the death of the last confirmed case on 28 January 2025.
The outbreak, in which two confirmed and eight probable cases were recorded (all deceased), was the second the country has experienced. Both this outbreak, which was declared on 20 January 2025, and the one in 2023 occurred in the north-eastern Kagera region.
In response to the latest outbreak, Tanzania’s health authorities set up coordination and response systems, with support from World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, at the national and regional levels and reinforced control measures to swiftly detect cases, enhance clinical care, infection prevention as well as strengthen collaboration with communities to raise awareness and help curb further spread of the virus.
Growing expertise in public health emergency response in the African region has been crucial in mounting effective outbreak control measures. Drawing on experience from the response to the 2023 Marburg virus disease outbreak, WHO worked closely with Tanzanian health authorities to rapidly scale up key measures such as disease surveillance and trained more than 1000 frontline health workers in contact tracing, clinical care and public health risk communication. The Organization also delivered over five tonnes of essential medical supplies and equipment.
“The dedication of frontline health workers and the efforts of the national authorities and our partners have paid off,” said Dr Charles Sagoe-Moses, WHO Representative in Tanzania. “While the outbreak has been declared over, we remain vigilant to respond swiftly if any cases are detected and are supporting ongoing efforts to provide psychosocial care to families affected by the outbreak.”
Building on the momentum during the acute phase of the outbreak response, measures have been put in place to reinforce the capacity of local health facilities to respond to potential future outbreaks. WHO and partners are procuring additional laboratory supplies and other equipment for disease detection and surveillance and other critical services.
Marburg virus disease is highly virulent and causes haemorrhagic fever. It belongs to the same family as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease. Illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly. Patients present with high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. They may develop severe haemorrhagic symptoms within seven days.
In the African region, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.
Source: allafrica.com
Tanzania: Exim to Raise Fund for Mental Health Facilities Upgrades
EXIM Bank to raise 300m/- over the next three years for financing essential services and infrastructure upgrades in mental health facilities.
The bank’s Head of Marketing and Communications Stanley Kafu unveiled this when introducing Exim Bima Festival 2024 as a platform for bringing together individuals, organisations and various sectors for raising the funds.
“Exim’s initiative aligns with the government’s broader goals to ensure that every citizen has access to quality healthcare, including mental health services,” he said.
The initiative, which is one of the events for celebrating the bank’s 27th anniversary is scheduled for Wednesday this week in Dar es Salaam.
Mr Kafu highlights that this year’s festival is not only about raising awareness of the importance of insurance in the society but also focuses on enhancing access to mental health services and improving the overall well-being of the nation.
Statistics from the Ministry of Health shows a staggering 82 per cent increase in mental health cases over the past decade.
Mental cases have risen from 386,358 in 2012 to 2,102,726 in 2021, making the need for mental health services more urgent than ever.
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Unfortunately, the country’s ability to address this growing challenge is hindered by a shortage of mental health professionals, infrastructure, medical equipment and essential medication.
For example, out of the 28 regions in the country, only five have facilities that provide adequate mental health services.
The most affected group is the youth aged 15 to 39, who represent the nation’s workforce, underscoring the need for intensified efforts to safeguard this generation for Tanzania’s future well-being and development.
Mr Kafu said by improving mental health services, Exim aims to contribute to the creation of a network of communities that can access care quickly and affordably.
Exim Insurance Department Manager Tike Mwakyoma said they are appreciating the support from partners in the insurance industry, who have stood by them since the last festival.
“Let’s continue this unity for the development of all Tanzanians and our nation as a whole,” the manager said.
Source: allafrica.com
