Paul Odeyo, General Manager in charge of Commercial at Farmers Choice, addresses the press in Bungoma on Thursday./HANDOUT
The Kenya Music Festival has emerged as an important platform for promoting nutrition awareness among children.
This year’s performances are incorporating messages on healthy diets, balanced nutrition and the importance of good nutrition in supporting children’s physical, mental and social development.
The 98th edition of the Kenya Music Festival, held at Kibabii University in Bungoma, brought together learners and institutions from across the country, providing an opportunity for stakeholders to use music and other creative performances to communicate important messages affecting children and society.
Speaking to the press at Kibabii University, Paul Odeyo, general manager in charge of commercial at Farmers Choice, said this year’s theme, “Transforming Lives Sustainably Through Nutrition”, underscored the growing need to place nutrition at the centre of efforts to improve children’s wellbeing.
“With our theme of transforming lives sustainably through nutrition, we felt it was important to participate in the 98th Kenya Music Festival at Kibabii University, which brought together institutions from across the country,” Odeyo said.
He said the decision to partner with the music festival was informed by the critical role nutrition plays in the growth and development of children, noting that proper nutrition is essential not only for their physical health but also for their mental development, learning and overall wellbeing.
Odeyo said exposing children to nutrition messages through music and creative performances provides an effective way of helping them understand the importance of making healthy choices while enabling them to share the information with their families and communities.
“We felt it was important to involve the children and make them aware of the role nutrition plays in their lives and their rights. Beyond participating in the music festival, these children can carry the message home and share it with other children, their parents and the communities they interact with,” he said.
He noted that children are powerful agents of change when given the right information and platforms to express themselves, adding that music offers an engaging and memorable way of communicating messages that might otherwise be difficult to convey.
Odeyo added that the partnership also sought to harness the creativity and talents of learners by giving them an opportunity to use music and performance to address issues affecting them and the wider society.
“Music provides an avenue for children to be creative, to sing and perform, but more importantly, it gives them an opportunity to express themselves about what is happening in society and around them. Nutrition is one of those issues that we believe children can communicate effectively through their performances,” he said.
He commended learners who participated in the festival from the divisional and regional levels through to the national competition, saying their performances demonstrated the commitment of parents, teachers and learners towards nurturing talent while creating awareness of important social issues.
“I really appreciate all the children who participated in the 98th Kenya Music Festival, right from the divisional and regional levels to the national level,” he said.
Odeyo observed that incorporating nutrition into the festival has helped make the subject more relatable to children, particularly by allowing them to learn through songs and performances rather than relying solely on conventional classroom instruction.
“The nutrition aspect came out very clearly during the festival. When children sing and perform about issues that affect their lives, the message becomes easier to understand and remember. We believe that this approach can contribute to building a generation that understands the importance of good nutrition,” he said.
He added that good nutrition should be viewed as a shared responsibility involving learners, parents, teachers, schools, government agencies, the private sector and other stakeholders.
He applauded the Ministry of Education, Kenya Music Festivals, Equity Bank and other partners for supporting the event and creating a platform where talent development could be combined with messages on health and wellbeing.
Odeyo said such partnerships were important in ensuring that nutrition awareness reaches children at an early age.
He said Farmers Choice would continue working with the Ministry of Education and schools to promote nutrition awareness and contribute to initiatives aimed at improving the wellbeing of learners.
“In future, we intend to continue partnering with the Ministry of Education and schools to ensure that children are getting the best nutrition. We believe that when we invest in the health and nutrition of our children, we are also investing in the future of this country,” Odeyo said.
