Health Ministry Deploys More Specialists to Counties

Recent research and reports are shedding light on a worrying but often overlooked problem in Kenya’s cities: hidden hunger among low-income urban populations, especially those living in informal settlements. In Nairobi’s slums, for example, many households face both food insecurity and micronutrient deficiencies, even when there appears to be enough food.
A working paper by the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) found that residents of Nairobi’s informal settlements struggle to access healthy diets. Poverty, poor sanitation, and limited access to nutrient-rich foods mean that many people rely on cheap, calorie-dense, but nutrient-poor foods. These dietary patterns contribute to high levels of stunting, wasting, and micronutrient deficiencies in children, and also a clustering of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among adults in these communities.
Scientific studies support this: in two Nairobi slums (Korogocho and Viwandani), researchers documented a double burden of malnutrition — that is, both undernutrition (like stunting) and overnutrition (overweight/obesity) co-existing in the same communities. A related nutritional survey in Kibera found that 47% of children under five were stunted, while many households also depended on street foods that lack sufficient micronutrients.
Experts warn that hidden hunger is more than a calorie problem: it is a micronutrient crisis. According to the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), many slum residents may eat enough by quantity, but their diets are not sufficiently rich in essential vitamins and minerals — a condition exacerbated by food insecurity, weak water and sanitation infrastructure, and persistent poverty.
If you like, I can check the most recent (2023–2025) data on micronutrient deficiencies in Kenya’s informal urban areas — do you want me to do that?