By Eunice Mwathi
Obesity has overtaken underweight among school-age children and adolescents globally, according to a new UNICEF report, and Kenya is not immune.
Kenya has long battled undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies among children. But today, it faces a triple burden: undernutrition, hidden hunger, and rising rates of overweight and obesity.
According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) 2022, three per cent of children under five are overweight, with Nyeri, Nyamira, Kisii, and Nairobi counties leading at six per cent. Among adolescents aged 15–19, the numbers are even starker: 13 per cent of girls are overweight or obese, compared to just two per cent of boys.
If current trends continue, the World Obesity Atlas 2022 projects that by 2030, more than one million Kenyan children aged 5 to 19 will be living with obesity.
“Malnutrition in Kenya is no longer only about wasting or stunting,” says UNICEF Kenya Country Representative Shaheen Nilofer. “The growing burden of overweight and obesity is driven by a shift toward energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods and the aggressive marketing of unhealthy products. This threatens to undo the gains we have made.”
According to the UNICEF report, Feeding Profit: How Food Environments are Failing Children, ultra-processed and fast foods high in sugar, refined starch, salt, unhealthy fats, and additives are shaping children’s diets across the globe, and Kenya is no exception.
From Nairobi’s estates to smaller towns like Kisii or Nyeri, brightly packaged snacks and sugary drinks line shop shelves, often cheaper and more accessible than fruits, vegetables, or protein-rich foods. School tuck shops are stocked with sweets and sodas, while digital marketing floods children’s screens with fast-food advertising.
A global UNICEF poll of 64,000 young people across 170 countries, including Kenya, showed that 75 per cent had seen ads for sugary or junk foods in the past week, and most said the ads increased their desire to eat them.
“Children are not making these choices in a vacuum,” explains Nilofer. “Their food environments are designed to push them toward unhealthy options.”
Obesity in childhood is not just a cosmetic issue. It brings higher risks of type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and even certain cancers later in life. For Kenya, a country already grappling with the costs of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the rising obesity burden threatens to overwhelm the health system and reverse hard-won progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.
Globally, some governments are taking bold steps. Mexico, for instance, has banned the sale of ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks in schools, reshaping food environments for 34 million children. Kenya is only starting to move in this direction.
UNICEF Kenya is working with the government to strengthen policies that regulate food marketing, ban junk food in schools, and make nutritious food more affordable and accessible.
The organization is also pushing for safeguards against interference from the food industry in public policy.But policy alone will not solve the problem. Social protection programs must also tackle income poverty, ensuring families can afford healthier foods. Communities need to be empowered to demand better diets, and parents must be supported to make healthy choices for their children.In many Kenyan households, price and availability still dictate what ends up on the plate.
Without urgent intervention, experts warn that Kenya could soon be spending billions on obesity-related health care costs resources that could otherwise strengthen an already stretched health system.
“In many countries, we now see the double burden of malnutrition stunting and obesity existing side by side,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “For Kenya, this is the moment to act. Nutritious and affordable food must be available to every child to support their growth and development.”
As Kenyan children navigate their food choices, the question is whether the country can transform its food environments before obesity becomes the next silent epidemic.
