By Gitahi Ngunyi
@gitahi_ngunyi
A section of County first ladies has vowed to use their influence to end malnutrition in their counties. The six first ladies led by led Migori first lady Agnes Ochillo made the commitment after a three day workshop organized by Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Alliance (SUN CSA) where they were trained to be champions in the fight against malnutrition.
“Although we do not have official positions in county governments we have influence that we intend to use to lead the fight against malnutrition in our counties,” said Ochillo who is also the vice chairman of the Counties First Ladies Association.
The first ladies who participated in the workshop that closed on 24th April 2024 were drawn from the six counties of Wajir, Makueni, Migori, Nyandarua, Kakamega, and Baringo.
SUN CSA National Coordinator Edgar Onyango welcomed the first ladies commitment to lead the fight against malnutrition and noted that they are critical in community engagement and mobilization at the grassroots.
“The first ladies are very passionate in discussing issues of malnutrition but also engaging in community mobilization to support dissemination of information on the problem. The have also demonstrated interest in engaging policy makers and implementers at the county level on some of the solutions that are available at the local level such as using local knowledge to combat malnutrition at their counties,” he said.
Ayacko said the training had opened their eyes on the impact of malnutrition in the country and how they can be involved in the fight against the problem.
“We have learned that this country can improve if we manage malnutrition. We have also learned that there is a lot of malnutrition in the country which is invisible to the naked eye. Because of the inequalities in the country, a lot of our children are growing up malnourished. Malnourishment is also contributing to child mortality in the sense that out of every five children that die, one death is a result of malnutrition,” she said.
