NIPFN Kenya

The National Information Platforms for Food Security and Nutrition (NIPFN) is a country-led and country-owned platform, to facilitate multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder dialogue on nutrition. NIPFN supports the use of existing information and data to develop or refine policies and programmes. In Kenya, the initiative seeks to strengthen national capacity to manage and analyse information and data from all sectors that have an influence on nutrition, such as: Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Trade, investments and Industry,  Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, NDMA, UN agencies, NGOs and others. The initiative will assist in the dissemination and use of information, to better inform the strategic decisions to prevent undernutrition and its consequences.

NIPFN Cordination

Dr. Macdonald Obudho, MBS
Director General, KNBS

Project Chair

Dr. Rose Ngugi
Executive Director, KIPPRA

Project Co-Chair

NIPFN Secretariat

Mr. Robert Nderitu

Project Director

Dr. Eldah Onsomu

Director – KIPPRA

Mr. James Gatungu

Project Manager

Mr. Samuel Kipruto

Senior Data Analyst

Dr. Isabella Kiplangat

Senior Policy Analyst

Mr. Eric Macharia

Statistician

Mr. Allan Gathuru

Data Manager

Background

The National Information Platform for Food Security and Nutrition (NIPFN) is an initiative of the European Commission with support from the United Kingdom Department for International Development and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Kenyan NIPFN is part of a larger initiative that are members of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement in the following countries: Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Laos, Niger, Uganda, Guatemala, and Ivory Coast. The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) and the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) are the two State Corporations mandated by the Government of Kenya to implement the project.

Project Objectives

The proposed Kenya approach seeks to achieve three main results:

Create capacity within national institutions to operate and maintain a National Information Platform for Food and Nutrition.

Strengthen capacity to track progress in meeting national objectives to prevent under-nutrition and monitor nutrition investments.

Build the capacity of national policy makers and programme planners to make better use of evidence in designing and implementing nutrition-related

NIPFN brought together Nutrition-ThinkTanks from Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (Health, Agriculture, Education, Labor & Social Protection, Water, Irrigation & Sanitation), International Non-Governmental Organizations (SUN CSA Kenya), United Nations Agencies (FAO), among others, in a two-day stakeholder workshop – 9 & 10 December 2020 – to discuss and formulate policy-relevant questions. The overall objective of NIPFN is to contribute towards the national development agenda of reducing the triple burden of malnutrition namely; overnutrition (obesity), undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies and attaining the Sustainable Developmental Goals. To achieve this, NIPFN engages in multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder engagements by informing nutrition sensitive and nutrition specific policies and programmes.

The Director General, KNBS, Mr. Macdonald Obudho was represented by the Project Director, Mr. Robert Nderitu. KIPPRA’s Executive Director, Dr. Rose Ngugi opened the workshop by virtue of the project being co-hosted by the two institutions. The Project Manager gave an overview of the project and the roles each committee and unit are expected to play. An overview of the Kenya Nutrition Action Plan 2018-2022 was presented by Ms. Immaculate Nyango from the Ministry of Health. This was followed by a presentation of the Kenya Agri-nutrition implementation strategy 2020-2025, by Ms. Jane Wambugu from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Source: KNAP presentation

Source: Agri-nutrition presentation

Other presentations from internal stakeholders, included:

• Policy Question Formulation – steps and criteria to formulate policy questions.
• Trends in Nutritional Anthropometric indicators.
• Association of stunting with household characteristics.
• Policy review highlights

The workshop ended on a good note with a couple of nutrition relevant policy questions. Participants were encouraged to continue engaging in the nutrition space and await the project launch in early 2021.

The three-day workshop was held in Kiandani Hotel, Machakos County from 11th to 16th July 2021. The overall objective of this workshop was to review and finalize policy questions based on sector needs and existing data. This was a culmination of an ongoing policy generation process.

The workshop brought together members of NIPFN Policy Advisory Committee stakeholders from Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), Kenya Institute of Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA), Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Cooperatives, Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, Ministry of Labor; State Department for Social Protection and The National Treasury and Planning; State Department for Planning.

The workshop was graced by the Executive Director KIPPRA and Director-General KNBS who are the chairs of the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC).

The policy questions generation process had begun in December 2020. Stakeholders presented policy questions that they would like to be addressed in their sectors. After a vigorous process of refinement, the PAC was to prioritize questions for the project to handle.

From the list presented in the workshop, the PAC prioritized five questions. As a way forward, the policy unit was tasked to develop concepts for the policy questions.

A two-day workshop was held on 4^th February 2021 in Nairobi for presentation of the project technical reports earmarked for the project launch. The NIPFN project is in its second year and several milestones have been achieved key among them statistical reports and review of food and nutrition security policies.

The Project Director- KNBS Director of Production Statistics- Mr. Robert Nderitu gave his welcoming remarks as the Chair of the Project Management Committee. During the workshop, he emphasized the significance and impact of the project outputs towards the overall achievement of the medium-term plans also known as the “Big 4 Agenda.” Food Security and Nutrition is among the four pillars that the Government of Kenya has prioritized for development.

KIPPRA Executive Director, Dr. Rose Ngugi in her opening remarks welcomed all stakeholders present from The National Treasury and planning, Ministry of Water, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives among other stakeholders. She acknowledged the role of the development partner – the European Union- in the implementation of the project.

Among the technical reports that were presented included trends in nutritional anthropometric indicators, association between stunting and household characteristics, review of policies and COVID Wave 1 and 2. Suggestions on how to improve the documents were tabled in preparation of the project launch scheduled for mid-year 2021.

NIPFN brought together Nutrition-ThinkTanks from Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (Health, Agriculture, Education, Labor & Social Protection, Water, Irrigation & Sanitation), International Non-Governmental Organizations (SUN CSA Kenya), United Nations Agencies (FAO), among others, in a two-day stakeholder workshop – 9 & 10 December 2020 – to discuss and formulate policy-relevant questions. The overall objective of NIPFN is to contribute towards the national development agenda of reducing the triple burden of malnutrition namely; overnutrition (obesity), undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies and attaining the Sustainable Developmental Goals. To achieve this, NIPFN engages in multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder engagements by informing nutrition sensitive and nutrition specific policies and programmes.

The Director General, KNBS, Mr. Macdonald Obudho was represented by the Project Director, Mr. Robert Nderitu. KIPPRA’s Executive Director, Dr. Rose Ngugi opened the workshop by virtue of the project being co-hosted by the two institutions. The Project Manager gave an overview of the project and the roles each committee and unit are expected to play. An overview of the Kenya Nutrition Action Plan 2018-2022 was presented by Ms. Immaculate Nyango from the Ministry of Health. This was followed by a presentation of the Kenya Agri-nutrition implementation strategy 2020-2025, by Ms. Jane Wambugu from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Source: KNAP presentation

Source: Agri-nutrition presentation

Other presentations from internal stakeholders, included:

• Policy Question Formulation – steps and criteria to formulate policy questions.
• Trends in Nutritional Anthropometric indicators.
• Association of stunting with household characteristics.
• Policy review highlights

The workshop ended on a good note with a couple of nutrition relevant policy questions. Participants were encouraged to continue engaging in the nutrition space and await the project launch in early 2021.