Kenya’s exclusive breastfeeding rate drops

Kenya has recorded a slight decline in exclusive breastfeeding rates from 61% to 60%.

The slight drop has raised concerns among health experts, who attribute it to, among other factors, limited access to maternal health information, cultural beliefs, and lack of workplace support.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has been actively promoting and supporting breastfeeding, with a key focus on increasing exclusive breastfeeding rates during the first six months of life. The national target is to reach 80%.

Consequently, the Ministry, through the Division of Nutrition and Dietetics Services, currently holding a sensitisation meeting ahead of World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) 2025, has challenged employers to establish more lactation stations to support mothers in exclusively breastfeeding their children after returning from maternity leave.

World Breastfeeding Week is observed annually from 1st to 7th August to raise awareness, highlight progress, and inspire action around breastfeeding.

This year’s theme, “Prioritise Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems”, emphasises the need for strong, coordinated support for mothers across communities, health systems, and workplaces.

Exclusive breastfeeding offers nutrients to babies, boosts their immunity, reduces obesity, prevents non-communicable disease, and also reduces the risks of breast cancer among women.

According to the Lancet’s 2016 series, breastfeeding prevents 823,000 deaths annually among children under five. About 87% of these deaths occur in infants under six months. Breastfeeding also reduces infection-related mortality by 88% among infants under three months, prevents 72% of all diarrhoea admissions and 57% of respiratory infection admissions. It decreases the incidence of diarrhoea and respiratory infections by 54% and 32%, respectively.

WHO and UNICEF recommend initiating breastfeeding within the first hour of birth and exclusively breastfeeding for the first six months, with continued breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond. Breastmilk contains all the essential nutrients for a child’s first six months of life.