In the past, nearly one out of every four children in Nairobi skipped school because of hunger. It is this sad fact that led Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson to introduce the Dishi Na County school meal program late in 2023, serving more than 310,000 pupils in the 17 sub-counties. The school meal, for which a plate rate of only Sh5 is paid, ensures that students in public schools and ECDEs enjoy nutritious meals, while the county subsidizes costs for pupils unable or failing to pay.
The programme has served over 21.9 million meals from the outset of the programme to date, whereupon thousands of the children’s lives have changed. As the third term gets underway, Governor Sakaja plans to roll out phase three of the Dishi Na County program, expanding the program to all public primary schools. This will raise the number of central kitchens by seven to a total of 17, catering for every registered public school in Nairobi to offer daily meals.
The Dishi Na County program started with 10 central kitchens in June 2023 and began serving on August 28, 2023. Another 10 kitchens were brought on board in the second phase that began in January 2024, bringing the number to a total of 184,000 children being fed from 106 schools daily. The program does not only feed the children but is also employing over 5,000 Nairobi residents who are preparing and ferrying the meals.
It includes rice from Mwea, beans from Central Kenya, and ndengu of Western Kenya, supporting the local farm produce to ensure that the meals served are nutritious and locally sustainable. What started as a failed Senate bill by Governor Sakaja is now a celebrated reality making impressive changes in education and nutrition within Nairobi.