Enact A Policy Framework to Protect Healthy Lives – Central
April 9, 2025
Enact A Policy Framework to Protect Healthy Lives
2 Chronicles 32: 28
He also made buildings to store the harvest of grain, new wine and oil; and he made stalls for various kinds of cattle, and pens for the flocks.
Press Statement
Preamble
The NCCK member churches in Central Region have held a two-day forum here at Bethany House, Sagana, to reflect on the policy framework in place to address the growing epidemic of Non Communicable Diseases, which has risen to account for 39% of all deaths in Kenya and 50% of hospitalizations. The delegates, who were drawn from Embu, Kirinyaga, Murang’a, Nyeri, Laikipia and Nyandarua counties, observed that it costs a patient close to KShs 150,000 per year to manage a Non Communicable Disease in outpatient care. Recognizing that the growth of Non Communicable Diseases is devastating the country, and appreciating the need for a policy framework to protect the lives of Kenyans, we now make the following recommendations.
1. Declare NCDs a National Emergency
We call upon the Cabinet Secretary for Health to declare Non Communicable Diseases a national emergency. This will facilitate convergence of government and non-government resources and policies to address this emerging threat. We recall that the government in the past put in place emergency measures whenever the prevalence rate of a disease rises to a notable level.
We note the following: Malaria prevalence rate peaked at 27% in 2010, leading to massive campaign to protect children under 5 years; HIV and AIDS prevalence peaked at 10% in the late 1990s, and the multifaceted campaign has brought it down to 3.2%; Diarrheal diseases range from 5% – 20%, and any outbreak is dealt with as an emergency and contained.
In the same way, we call upon the Ministry of Health to recognize that at a prevalence rate 27%, NCDs warrant emergency focus. The strain NCDs are exerting on household and national healthcare is immense, and needs to be addressed.
2. Disseminate and Implement the Nutrient Profile Model
We heartily commend the Ministry of Health for completing the development and adoption of an evidence-based Nutrient Profile Model. The Nutrient Profile Model has set standards for the nutritional composition of different food groups, and will serve as a crucial benchmark for reference by food producers as well as enforcement of different laws and policies that regulate the food industry.
3. Introduce Front of Pack Warning Labels
We note that due to changing lifestyles, the consumption of factory-processed foodstuffs is rising rapidly in our nation. The consumers therefore need to be fully informed of the contents and impact of the foods they purchase and eat. Regrettably, the back of the pack labels currently in use seem deliberately designed to hide information rather than inform the consumers. This is in direct contravention of Article 46(1)(b) of the Constitution of Kenya which states that
Consumers have the right – to the information necessary for them to gain full benefit from goods and services.
We strongly recommend that the Ministry of Health engages all stakeholders and facilitates a process to develop regulations to require all food manufacturers to include Front of Pack Warning Labels that specifically warn if the product is high in sugar, sodium and / or saturated fats.
4. Regulate Marketing of Unhealthy Foods
Children are at a very great health risk due to high consumption of factory-processed foods that are high in sugar, sodium and saturated fats. We call upon county and national governments to put in place policy measures to regulate advertisements of unhealthy foods that are targeted at children. We especially recommend:
One, that advertisements for such foods should not be done during the watershed hours when children are likely to be consuming media, and,
Two, the policy should curtail the use of children and child-like characters in advertisement of unhealthy foods
Let us all protect children from the lifelong effects of Non Communicable Diseases whose main risk factor is diet.
5. Teach Nutrition at all Levels
On our part, we have committed to create opportunities in our churches and other forums to educate congregants and communities on proper nutrition, always being inspired by the action of the Apostles recorded in Acts 15: 29
You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.
On their part, we encourage the Kenya Institute for Curriculum Development, the Kenya National Examinations Council and all other education standards and examining bodies to include nutrition in their curricula. It will be very helpful if we build a nutrition-competent nation as this will cut off more than half of the household and national healthcare expenditure.
6. Make Taifacare Work or Revert to NHIF
The Constitution of Kenya in Article 43(1)(a) provides that
Every person has the right – to the highest attainable standard of health, which includes the right to healthcare services, including reproductive healthcare.
It is therefore a great injustice to the people of Kenya that financing for healthcare has been progressively deteriorating since it was moved from the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the Social Health Insurance Fund and now to Taifacare. The lives of Kenyans have effectively been sacrificed on the altar of unjust financial benefit of a few government officials.
We call upon the Ministry of Health as well as the Social Health Authority to radically reform the Taifacare to make the benefits accrued to the subscribers better than, or at least equal to, the benefits they enjoyed under the NHIF. If that is not possible, then Taifacare should be scrapped and have the nation revert to NHIF.
7. Urgently Complete Appointment of IEBC Commissioners
We have noted with deep concern that the National Assembly voted to extend the term of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Selection Panel by two weeks, giving them up to May 11, 2025. This report came at a time when media reports indicated that the Panel had unprocedurally amended the list of shortlisted candidates and added 6 names. This is a serious blow as it threatens to reduce the credibility of the process. We call upon the Selection Panel to speed up the process, and to ensure they act in a manner that inspires confidence.
8. Keep Politics Away from our Churches
Recognizing the growing trend of pollution of church sanctuaries and worship services by politicians, we reiterate the guidelines issued by the NCCK on ministering to politicians. These include:
One, all political leaders who attend worship services are to be treated the same as all other worshippers
Two, all monetary contributions should be treated as offerings and should not be announced or be accompanied by fanfare
Three, religious leaders should avoid endorsing or opposing any political leaders or parties and to instead remain objective and non-partisan
Four, politicians should not be allowed to address the congregants inside the church, and should instead speak to people outside the church building after the service
We will firmly demand that anyone who comes to the places of worship brings themselves under the authority of God and submit to the leadership of the presiding clergy.
9. Conclusion
We conclude by reminding all Kenyans that a healthy nation is dependent on healthy individuals. For this reason, we need to each individually commit to educate ourselves on good nutrition so that we eat what is good for our bodies. Let us also pray that God will bless our families with the promise made in Psalm 132: 15
I will bless her with abundant provisions, her poor I will satisfy with food.
May God bless our nation and our counties with adequate food for healthy lives, and may God enable the government to put in place policies that promote and protect healthy living.
May you have a blessed and Christ-filled Easter.
Signed on this 9th day of April 2025 at Bethany House, Sagana
Rt Rev Stephen Njogu
Vice Chairman, NCCK Central Region
