President William Ruto will open a global summit of lawmakers on hunger and malnutrition in Nairobi on Monday, The Star reported. More than 250 legislators from over 100 national parliaments are expected. Ruto is scheduled to open the meeting at 10 am in the National Assembly Chamber.
The Third Global Parliamentary Summit against Hunger and Malnutrition runs on November 16 and 17 at Parliament Buildings. It is organised jointly by the Parliament of Kenya, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). Development partners, civil society groups, private sector players and other stakeholders will also attend.
The theme is "Legislating for Resilient Agrifood Systems and Zero Hunger in a Changing Climate". Talks will cover three areas. These are the right to food through inclusive development and social justice, access to healthy diets, and sustainable agrifood systems. Organisers say the aim is to turn political commitments into laws, budgets and parliamentary oversight. In practice, that means pressure on governments to fund food production and nutrition.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula said the meeting would let legislators share experiences and sharpen their oversight of food insecurity. He said the summit seeks to strengthen parliamentary action and support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Mandera West MP Adan Yusuf Haji chairs the Eastern Africa Parliamentary Alliance on Food Security and Nutrition. He called the hosting a milestone for Africa. He urged governments to invest more in nutrition and promote indigenous food crops. "A country that cannot feed its people and claims to be independent is not independent," Haji said. He cited estimates that about 700 million people globally face malnutrition, while one in five people in Africa is affected.
Tigania West MP John Mutunga said African parliaments need stronger legal frameworks for food production, nutrition and resilience. The summit is the third in the series, after Spain in 2018 and Chile in 2023. It builds on the Global Parliamentary Pact against Hunger and Malnutrition. It is also expected to showcase Kenya's farm policies under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.