Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has assured parents and learners that the city’s Dishi na County school feeding program will continue despite the national government’s plan to eliminate school feeding programs. This assurance follows the National Treasury’s proposal to scrap the allocation for the school feeding program in the 2024/2025 financial year budget estimates.
The proposal sparked uproar among Members of Parliament, who expressed concern that it would impact 4.5 million learners. The program was allocated Ksh.4.9 billion in the current financial year, and the Ministry of Education had appealed for an additional Ksh.1 billion in the supplementary budget.
However, in a statement issued on Tuesday evening, Governor Sakaja confirmed that Nairobi County’s school feeding program will continue to be implemented.
“Nairobi parents and children should not worry. Dishi na County school feeding Program remains on,” said the Governor.
Governor Johnson Sakaja highlighted his administration’s commitment to enhancing the Dishi na County school feeding program, noting that 200,000 meals are now prepared daily, up from 180,000 meals last term. In Nairobi, the program is run by the NGO Food4Education in partnership with the Nairobi County Government.
“200,000 children are now enlisted and will continue to eat daily,” Sakaja affirmed.
Additionally, the French Government has donated Ksh.144 million to Food4Education for food subsidies to support 25,000 learners who cannot afford the Ksh.5 required per child daily to benefit from the food. The Governor confirmed that the county is constructing seven more kitchens across seven constituencies to cover the remaining regions within the city.
