The Government is providing food to three million learners in 34 counties under the School Meals Programme, the Principal Secretary (PS) for the State Department of Basic Education, Dr. Belio Kipsang, has revealed.
Dr. Kipsang said the government adopted two models—in kind, which provides food to schools and covers learners in 11 arid counties.
The Principal Secretary made the remarks, Wednesday, when he received, Chief Executive Officer, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), Ms. Kate Hampton, who paid him a courtesy call at his Jogoo House Office, Nairobi.
Dr, Kipsang said under the homegrown model, the government budgets were provided to schools, to acquire food from local suppliers.
He said the model helps to boost small scale farmers and local economies and covers learners in 23 counties.
Dr. Kipsang said that provision of food in Arid and Semiarid regions, is aimed at improving children’s access to education, noting that harsh environments created barriers to education in the regions.
Ms. Hampton said CIFF wished to discuss priority areas for partnership and collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
She said CIFF has partnered with the County Government of Nairobi, in providing hot meals for children in public primary schools in the City.
Ms. Hampton said that the goal of education funding, was aimed at ensuring that every young child is prepared mentally, emotionally and physically for primary school and later life.
The School Meals Programme in Kenya was started in 1980, after the country was hit by a severe drought, with initial 240,000 learners benefiting,
The programme was started by the Ministry of Education with the support of the World Food Programme, to encourage enrolment and retention of children in school. Since 2018, the Programme has been handed over fully to the Government.
The programme is run by the Ministry of Education through the National Council for Nomadic Education in Kenya (NACONEK).
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
