New Study Shows Rapid Increase in Childhood Obesity

A new report from UNICEF, released 11 September 2025, warns that Kenya is seeing a rapid rise in childhood and adolescent obesity. According to the report Feeding Profit: How Food Environments Are Failing Children, obesity has overtaken underweight as the more common form of malnutrition globally — and Kenya is not exempt from the trend.
Data from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) 2022 shows that about 3 percent of children under five are now overweight — with some counties, including Nyeri, Nyamira, Kisii, and Nairobi, reporting rates as high as 6 percent. Among adolescents aged 15 to 19, there is a stark gender disparity: 13 percent of girls in this age group are overweight or obese, compared to just 2 percent of boys.
Experts attribute the rise to a shift in children’s diets toward ultra-processed, energy-dense foods. The report highlights how aggressive marketing to children and the increasing availability of junk foods are driving unhealthy eating habits. The growing obesity problem in youth is being flagged as a serious public health concern, given the long-term risks of non-communicable diseases like type-2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular problems.
UNICEF warns that if the current trend continues, over 1 million Kenyan children aged 5–19 could be living with obesity by 2030. The organization is calling for urgent action, including stronger regulation of food marketing, better food labeling, and policies to make healthy diets more accessible to all children.