Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja says he will work with Ruaraka Member of Parliament Tom Joseph Kajwang on a School Feeding Program Bill that will ensure students across the country benefit from the initiative.
Speaking during the launch of the first phase of school feeding program in 45 schools Monday, Sakaja urged the legislator to sponsor the bill so that all children are covered.
“This journey has been long, it started when I was in the Senate whenI brought the Bill on school lunch but it did not go through,” he stated.
“Mweshimiwa TJ in the USA there is a national school lunch act of 1946 that has guided the initiative of feeding children even in the US. I want us to partner that I can bring you version of the bill because you are an adroit and strict legislator, you can pass it in the National Assembly so that other children in the country become covered.”
He was speaking even as City Hall launched the first phase of the school feeding program where he stated that his office is still on the move to ensure that in the next one month they reach out to 350,000 students.
“The approach is aimed to scale up lunch meals delivered, logistics and technology to ensure we are delivering the highest quality of food and service which our children deserve,” Sakaja stated.
Some of the 45 schools that were tapped onto the program today are inclusive of Baba Dogo primary school, Dandora primary school, Kawangware primary school, Umoja One Primary School, Ushirika primary school, Gatina Primary school, Olympic, Raila Education Centre, among others.
Pupils from Early Childhood Development (ECD) and those in primary level from 309 public schools in Nairobi are expected to benefit from the Sh1.7 billion budgeted for the program.
The pupils in the program are set to get the meal at a subsidized price of Sh5 daily via USSD code *648# and every kid will be given a wrist mark (watch) known as ‘tap to eat’ as an indication that s/he has subscribed to the program.
This initiative has come about due to reports showing that Nairobi county has the highest malnutrition cases because many children are not well fed and end up missing classes.
Sakaja said that the programme will ensure that the meals being provided daily are nutritionally balanced for all children and that trucks carrying food for different schools should be within the vicinity before 12:30 pm in order to meet the lunch hour moment.
The CEC said that at least 1,500 people will be contracted into aiding with the program and the county targets that the guardians and parents will be the ones taking the space.
“Due to logistics, we expect that children carry their own plates and spoons to school. If more money is pumped into the project, the county will definitely provide the items,” Silantoi said.
Ten central kitchens for the programme have been under construction since June ahead of the launch. Health executive Susan Silantoi said most of the kitchens are almost complete and seven others are underway.
They are being constructed in Baba Dogo Primary School, Bidii Primary School, Kwa Njenga Primary, Farasi Lane Primary, Muthangari Primary, Kayole One Primary, Njiru Primary, Toi Primary, Roysambu Primary and Racecourse Primary.
