This archive report was first published on 1 August 2019.
Kenya's Progress in Breastfeeding ¶
As the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) kicks off, Kenya is celebrating its progress in promoting breastfeeding and supporting lactating mothers. The country has made tremendous strides in ensuring that breastfeeding of infants is achieved at the workplace, hospital, and home.
One notable achievement is the launch of a Human Milk Bank at Pumwani Maternity Hospital, the first of its kind in East and Central Africa. The bank has been operational for three months and is expected to help save the lives of susceptible babies who are born prematurely or cannot access their mother's milk.
The facility has a pasteurizer that can hold 9.4 million liters, two refrigerators, and four freezers with a 240-liter capacity. Lactating mothers are screened before expressing their milk to the bank, which is heated for 30 minutes at 60.5 degrees Celsius before it is cooled, packed, and stored for use for up to six months.
This initiative reduces the duration infants stay in hospital, thus saving on healthcare funds. In 2018, the government directed employers to set up breastfeeding stations for career women with newborn babies, in line with the Health Act 2017.
Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki emphasized the importance of breastfeeding, stating, 'Breastfeeding is the healthiest start to life. It is a baby's first vaccine and the best source of nutrition. It is a universal solution that lays the foundation for good health and survival for children and women.'
However, human resource policies to promote this directive are lacking, and only 35 companies in Kenya have so far complied with the government's directive. Private sector companies, such as Safaricom and Nestle Kenya, have implemented breastfeeding policies, while public government offices lag behind.
According to Action Against Hunger and consultant for the Ministry of Health Mary Kabura Kimani, 'The law is there and is clear, considering two or three women are engaged in economic activities outside home in either formal or informal sector.'
Founder of Africa Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition, and Development Prof. Ruth Oniang'o emphasized the need for the government to take the lead in setting spaces for breastfeeding for its workers in public offices. She noted that the current diseases, such as cancer, are coming about because of the lack of exclusive breastfeeding as a foundation, and the government needs to combine breastfeeding as a child and a healthy adult who is productive.
UNICEF highlights the critical importance of breastfeeding for children across the globe, stating, 'Breastfeeding is the foundation of good nutrition and protects children against disease. In this way, breastfeeding allows all children to thrive and develop to their full potential.'
