By Matilda Atieno
The latest Multisectoral Nutrition (MSN) Scorecard for Kisumu County reveals a stark divide: public health services are hitting record highs, while agricultural and educational integration is still fighting for momentum. Supported by KMET and the Kenya Red Cross, the forum highlighted that while the county is great at “delivering,” it is still learning how to “nourish.”
The findings from the 2026 Multisectoral Nutrition Scorecard highlight a fascinating yet concerning paradox: Kisumu is winning the clinical battle but struggling on the domestic front. The health department has emerged as the county’s “star pupil,” boasting a robust medical framework where 87% of newborns are initiated on breastfeeding and Vitamin A coverage for infants has hit a stellar 95%. Furthermore, nearly 88% of expectant mothers are accessing essential iron and folic acid supplements. However, these medical victories are being undercut by a sobering reality: despite high supplement coverage, the proportion of underweight children under five has climbed to 21%, signaling that the nutrition crisis is moving from a lack of medicine to a lack of food.
This gap is most visible in the Agricultural sector, where a significant “transmission” bottleneck exists. While the county successfully scaled up technical capacity by training over 1,500 farmers in modern fish and goat milk technologies, this wealth of knowledge has not yet reached the family dinner table. Household consumption of these high-protein foods remains at near-zero levels. With 13 of the 25 primary agricultural indicators still stuck in the “red” zone, it is clear that while procurement for multi-storey gardens and vegetable seeds is “in progress,” the physical harvest has yet to materialize in a way that impacts county-wide nutrition.
A similar story of mixed results unfolds in the Education and Water sectors. The Education department is currently split, with 17 indicators achieving “green” status—largely thanks to successful deworming and Vitamin A programs in Early Childhood Development Centers—while 15 indicators remain stagnant.
Meanwhile, Water and Sanitation (WASH) efforts have successfully pushed safe water access to 72% of households, but a lag in the construction and upgrading of new facilities threatens to stall this momentum. Ultimately, the data suggest that for Kisumu to thrive, the county must bridge the gap between departmental training and actual household consumption, ensuring that clinical successes are finally matched by a sustainable and diverse local food supply.
As Kisumu moves into the second half of 2026, the focus of the MSN forum—joined by local civil societies and nutrition masters—is to ensure that departmental outputs (like training) lead to household outcomes (like eating). The goal is for the county to be as effective at growing food as it is at distributing supplements.