Tracing Equity on Paper and in Practice: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Equity in Kenya's Food Governance

ABSTRACT Globally, there is collective agreement on the need to advance equity within food systems to promote health equity, food security, and social justice through structural transformation. Food systems are shaped by power asymmetries across scales and actors, which influence the realization of the right to food and constrain the agency of marginalized groups. In low‐resource settings, policy instruments play a central role in guiding agricultural and economic development. Using the systematic equity action‐analysis (SEAA) framework, this paper examines how policies produce and mediate food security outcomes for marginalized populations in Kenya, and demonstrates the utility of the SEAA framework for policy analysis. Sixteen policy documents published between 2020 and June 2025 were purposively selected to represent multiple governance scales. A critical discourse analysis was conducted guided by the questions outlined in the SEAA framework. Results indicate that addressing the social processes underpinning resource allocation and power redistribution is essential for achieving equitable and sustainable food security. The research highlights pathways for embedding equity in policy formulation and implementation, including fostering coherent worldviews, recognizing diverse forms of agency, and strengthening accountability mechanisms. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on power in food systems by providing evidence on the adoption of the SEAA framework by policymakers and researchers for translating knowledge to equity action.