Kenyans unable to afford a healthy diet rise by 9m

What the report says

Business Daily reports that the number of Kenyans unable to afford a healthy diet has risen by 9 million, citing figures from the Food and Agriculture Organization. The paper says the daily cost of a healthy diet in Kenya increased from $2.56 per person to $4.50 over an eight-year period, a rise of about 76 percent.

The reported increase points to a widening gap between food costs and household purchasing power. A healthy diet is typically more expensive than simply meeting minimum calorie needs because it includes a more diverse mix of foods such as fruits, vegetables, proteins and other nutrient-rich items. When those foods become less affordable, lower-income households are more likely to cut back on quality or quantity.

The development matters for Kenya’s food security, public health and economic policy. Higher diet costs can worsen nutrition outcomes, especially for children and vulnerable households, and may add pressure on government programmes aimed at cushioning consumers from food-price shocks. It also underscores how inflation, incomes and agricultural supply conditions affect access to nutritious food, not just the availability of food in markets.

The available article text does not provide the full FAO dataset, the exact years covered, or the total number of people now classified as unable to afford a healthy diet. Those details would be needed to assess the scale of the affordability gap and compare Kenya’s trend with other countries in the region.