The Kenyan government has committed to feeding over 3 million learners, across 34 counties, through the School Meals Programme. Dr. Belio Kipsang, who is the Principal Secretary for the State Department of Basic Education, made this commitment in the presence of stakeholders.
The program will be under two models of implementation. In the first model, food supplies will be directly given to schools in the 11 arid counties. This will ensure that schools which are most often challenged in accessing food supplies due to harsh conditions within the 11 counties get their fair share. Secondly, there will be a homegrown food distribution model, which directs the budgets of schools in 23 counties to purchases of school food from local farmers with the aim of supporting local farmers and boosting local economic development.
This is what Dr. Kipsang said when he was visited at Jogoo House by Ms. Kate Hampton, the CEO of Children’s Investment Fund Foundation. Ms. Hampton had gone to see him where he mentioned that CIFF was committed to making the programme better in partnership with the ministry. She revealed that they were currently working with the Nairobi County government to have public primary school children provided with hot meals.
The School Meals Programme, which started off in 1980 after a severe drought, with assistance from the World Food Programme, served an initial 240,000 learners. From the year 2018, it is run entirely by the Kenyan government arrangements, handled by the Ministry of Education and the National Council for Nomadic Education in Kenya (NACONEK).
The ultimate goal of the program is to make every child mentally, emotionally, and physically ready for school and life in the future, highlighting the government’s commitment to expanding educational access and opportunities in less-favored regions.