The National Assembly Committee on National Government Constituency Development Fund (NGCDF) wants the National Treasury to rescind its decision to scrap the School Meals Program (SMP) from the budget estimates for the Financial Year (FY) 2024/2025.
Speaking at Mary Cliff Primary School in Mvita Constituency during the handing over of two classrooms built by the NG-CDF Board, the Chairman of the Committee Musa Sirma said school feeding is not provided for in the NG-CDF act because they are recurrent expenditures.
However, the Eldama Ravine legislator noted that instead of constructing school infrastructures or issuing bursaries money can be allocated to food to attract learners in the Arid and Semi-Arid areas.
“In situations where there are no students instead of building a class. You can use that money to attract them to school,” said Sirma.
“But as of now, we have not given a provision of food for students unless otherwise in areas where there is a problem you can cut down on bursaries and give the money for food,” he added.
The proposal for CDF money to be used for the school feeding programme, Sirma stated is not viable for now and can only be pushed to the next financial year and after amendments to the NG-CDF act.
“Government shouldn’t cut down on food because it is a very important element in the learning process. If you don’t provide for food, you will find malnourished children. We may even lower the standard of education in this country,” Sirma said.
Sirma termed the move to scrap the feeding programme as detrimental to the education sector and added it will claw back the strides the country has made on student retention in schools.
He stated that the plan will discourage students who are accustomed to the feeding program.
“I want to ask the government to reconsider that decision and continue to provide food for children”
NG-CDF Chairman Olago Aluoch echoed Sirma’s sentiments saying the act guides the board in the disbursement of funds to constituencies and the school feeding programme is not factored in.
“What we have is a bursary. In the areas where bursary will not be required and instead they want to feed children then it can be a proposal for consideration by Parliament depending on the constituency,” said Oluoch.
Mvita MP Mohamed Machele urged the government to consider marginalised and drought-prone counties in the provision of food in schools to boost enrolment.
The NG-CDF Committee is assessing Constituency Innovation Hubs (CIH) in Mvita, Nyali, Matuga, and Kilifi North constituencies. The amended NG-CDF act has allocated three per cent of CDF for the operation and maintenance of the CIHs.
“We want to see how the fund will be prudently used and consultants will tell us what is needed. Mvita is ready to use the fund to build ICT hubs and the youths will gain skills,” said the Committee Chairman Sirma during a consultative meeting with Mvita NG-CDF officials.
Mvita MP Mohamed Machele said Sh3 million has been allocated for the establishment of an ICT hub at Ronald Ngala complex to serve residents of Tudor ward. “We will make sure every ward has an ICT hub,” promised the legislator.
Kitutu Masaba MP Clive Gisairo noted that the overarching goal of the hubs is to provide a platform for youth to gain skills to earn a living.
Masinga MP Joshua Mwalyo said the success of the transformative initiative will depend on the capacity of the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy (MICD) to provide reliable internet connectivity across the country.
He challenged MICD to request money to connect the CIHs that will be constructed in the constituencies.
By Sadik Hassan
