By 
WRI Report Reveals Alarming Food Loss and Waste in Kenya
Kenya loses up to 40% of its food each year about 9 million tons worth KES 72 billion (US$578 million). This happens even as one in four citizens struggles daily to find enough to eat.
A new report by World Resources Institute (WRI) https://www.wri.org/ Africa shows these losses could fill 500 million 18-ton trucks.
Major Losses Across Staple and High-Value Foods
The study, Food Loss and Waste in Maize, Potato, Fresh Fruits, and Fish Value Chains in Kenya 2025, offers the most detailed analysis so far. It identifies hotspots, pinpoints drivers of loss, and recommends solutions to strengthen food security, farmer livelihoods, and climate resilience.
Losses vary across value chains. For maize, up to 36% never reaches consumers. Potato losses stand at 23%, while fish losses are about 34%. High-value fruits face even bigger challenges, with mango losses at 56%, avocado at 35%, and banana at 11%. These gaps fuel shortages, undermine incomes, and place strain on natural resources.
Furthermore, the report highlights Kenya’s lack of reliable data. Without standardized systems for measurement, the country cannot set clear targets, design effective policies, or track progress.
What It Means for Kenyans
Food loss and waste may appear distant, but their effects are deeply felt. For government, maize wasted in storage threatens national food security. Businesses lose profits due to inefficient supply chains. Meanwhile, smallholder farmers bear the brunt lost yields, reduced incomes, and increased uncertainty.
Consumers are also affected. Cutting losses could make maize flour more affordable, ensure fresher fruits and fish in markets, and leave more income in farmers’ hands. In addition, it would ease pressure on land and water, stabilize prices, and build resilience against climate shocks.
WRI Report Reveals Alarming Food Loss and Waste in Kenya
Urgent Call for Action
Reducing food loss and waste by half by 2030 would be transformative. Kenya could feed more than 7 million people each year, inject KES 36 billion into its economy, and cut over 7 million tonnes of carbon emissions.
However, progress remains slow. Globally, the world is off track to achieve SDG 12.3, and Kenya faces the same challenge. Weak monitoring systems, limited financing, and fragmented coordination continue to hold back progress.
Although the 2024 Post-Harvest Management Strategy provides a framework, delays in rollout and lack of incentives persist.
Solutions on the Table
The WRI report recommends three clear actions:
-
Strengthen data and monitoring systems to locate where losses occur.
-
Scale up proven technologies like hermetic storage, cold chains, farmer training, and food donation.
-
Enforce policy implementation, improve coordination across sectors, and provide incentives for action.
“WRI Africa is tackling this challenge head-on through the ‘Target-Measure-Act’ approach and partnerships with government, business, and development actors,” said Dr. Susan Chomba, Director of Vital Landscapes.
“Reliable data, stronger policies, more finance, and entrepreneurship can turn food loss and waste into food security, green jobs, and climate resilience.”
Opportunity for Kenya
With just five years left to achieve SDG 12.3, turning commitments into results is urgent. By investing in better data, scaling up technology, and enforcing policies alongside food recovery and redistribution, Kenya can reverse the trend.
Acting decisively could feed millions, save billions, and reduce emissions. Above all, bold coordinated action would deliver a win for people, nature, and climate.
Comments