In a key ruling that was delivered on thursday, the High Court dismissed a petition challenging the legality of the School Feeding Programme in Nairobi County popularly known as ‘Dishi Na County’. This means that the programme will proceed for school children within Nairobi.
The importance of the program in relation to the children’s welfare was echoed by Justice Chacha Mwita while delivering the judgement. “It was for the welfare of children that the program was rolled out. We can’t stop it. We will be running away from the issues affecting the children,” he said. The petition had been filed by politician Janet Ouko, who expressed that the programme lacked the required public participation, and the funds could better have been used in building classrooms.
Janet Ouko was dropped as the CECM for Education, ended up filing a case against the programme, terming it as being conducted in darkness without transparency. The scheme does not follow an appropriate allocation of funds. However, the High Court noted that the feeding programme was benefiting rather far more than the alleged procedural flaws.
Suzanne Silantoi, the CECM for Health and Nutrition in Nairobi indicated that the High Court’s decision had understandably resulted in jubilation. “The ruling is so significant for children in Nairobi, since courts have validated the effort that Nairobi County has invested in the children of Nairobi whom many had forgotten for a very long time,” she said. Silantoi expressed appreciation that more than 200,000 pupils had benefited daily from the programme since its inception, with meals provided at a cost of just Ksh5 each.
Following the rollout of ten kitchens within the city, Governor Johnson Sakaja launched the ‘Dishi Na County’ programme last year. The first meal under the project was offered on August 28, 2023. This was a result of collaboration between Nairobi County and non-profit Food4Education, which runs similar programmes in other counties like Murang’a and Mombasa.