The Parliament of Kenya is ready to host delegates from across the globe for a food security and nutrition conference.

Lawmakers and other stakeholders will convene in Nairobi for the Third Global Parliamentary Summit on Hunger and Malnutrition next week.

According to Hon. Adan Yusuf Haji (Mandera West), who is also the Chairperson of the Eastern Africa Parliamentary Alliance on Food Security and Nutrition (EAPA-FSN), this will be the first time the meeting is held on the continent.

"We are happy that the summit will be hosted on African soil and in Kenya, for that matter, for the first time," said Hon. Haji during a Media Breakfast at Parliament Buildings ahead of the summit, scheduled for Monday, November 16, and Tuesday, November 17, 2026.

Kenya is the third country to host the summit, after Spain in 2018 and Chile in 2023. The meeting is organised by the Parliament of Kenya with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO Kenya) of the United Nations.

At the session attended by journalists covering the Health, Agriculture, Science and Climate Change beats, Hon. Haji said the platform would provide participants with an opportunity to strengthen partnerships, share experiences and identify priority areas for parliamentary action in an increasingly complex global context.

He called on parliaments to invest more resources in addressing malnutrition by promoting indigenous foods and reversing the effects of poor nutrition.

"As a country, the first objective is to ensure we are able to feed our nation and guarantee food security. We must provide adequate and balanced food. A country that cannot feed its people and claims to be independent is not independent," he said.

Hon. Haji said the high number of people facing malnutrition globally was alarming and required urgent attention and adequate resources.

"Studies have shown that 700 million people in the world are malnourished, while one in five people in Africa is malnourished. There is a need to embrace traditional crops to address food security and nutrition challenges," he said.

Speaking at the same event, Hon. (Dr.) John Mutunga (Tigania West), Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock, said African parliaments must identify and implement effective frameworks to strengthen food security and nutrition systems.

He observed that hunger and malnutrition remained major development challenges requiring sustained attention. He also urged the media to report objectively and focus on solutions.

"Hunger and malnutrition are significant development challenges requiring sustained attention and informed public discourse. We would like to see reporting that goes beyond statistics to highlight the impact of hunger and malnutrition on households, communities and national development," he said.

Other legislators present included Hon. Martha Wangari (Gilgil), Hon. Beatrice Elachi (Dagoretti North), Hon. Robert Basil (Yatta), Senator Alexander Mundigi (Embu) and Senator Hezena Lemaletian (Nominated).

Others were Clerk of the Senate Jeremiah Nyegenye; FAO Parliamentary Networks Coordinator Touadi Jean-Leonard, who joined virtually; and FAO Regional Manager for the Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) in Eastern and Southern Africa, Dr. Charles Bebay.

Mr. Nyegenye called on legislators to enact effective laws that would strengthen food security and help prevent hunger and malnutrition.