Kenya has been slow in fighting hunger and eradicating extreme poverty, making it impossible to achieve the first target of the United Nation’s millennium development goals for developing countries by 2015.
This will be among the issues which will be discussed during the fourth African governance, leadership and management convention that will be held in Mombasa between September 3 and 6 involving delegates drawn from 50 countries on the continent.
“Kenya is lagging behind in some of the millennium development goals but has also done well in others like achieving universal access to education. There is progress in other set goals but we can do better. We shall be dealing with those goals that are likely not to be achieved by 2015,” said United Nations Development Programme representative, Mr Steven Ursino.
MATERNAL HEALTH
Kenya also lags behind in maternal health and lowering child mortality. Kenya recently introduced free maternal health services in the government health centres across the country in a bid to reduce child mortality.
However, the country has managed to cut by half the rate of HIV infections and malaria among other diseases.
Others areas that the country has achieved is in improvement of gender equality in access to opportunities as well as women empowerment.
“We would want the outcomes of the convention to have impact in policy formulation to help push and accelerate the achievement of the millennium development goals,” noted Mr Ursino.
By Nation correspondent,
http://www.nation.co.ke/business/news/Kenya+slow+in+fighting+hunger+UNDP/-/1006/1968056/-/k8142k/-/index.html
