Kenya is seeking to put school meals within reach of 10 million learners by 2030, more than tripling the current number of children covered under the government programme.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the expansion is among measures being pursued to address child malnutrition and improve the well-being of children, particularly those from vulnerable households.
Duale made the announcement on Thusday while representing President William Ruto at a high-level summit on child survival and nutrition convened by King Letsie III of Lesotho on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly on September 24, 2026.
The government currently provides meals to about 2.6 million learners, with plans now focused on widening the programme to 10 million children over the next four years.
“Despite this progress, poverty, climate pressures and regional inequalities continue to drive malnutrition, with wasting affecting 5 per cent of children under five,” Duale said in a statement shared after the summit.
The CS said the government was combining school feeding with preventive healthcare and measures aimed at improving food security and child development.
Kenya's primary healthcare system is supported by 107,000 Community Health Promoters, while the government is also investing in agriculture that can withstand climate pressures.
“We are scaling school meals from 2.6 million to 10 million learners by 2030, while strengthening investment in the first 1,000 days, nurturing care, early childhood development and social protection,” Duale said.
The planned expansion follows a sharp increase in the number of learners covered by the school feeding programme.
In March 2025, the Ministry of Education reported that beneficiaries had increased from 240,000 to 2.6 million learners.
The ministry said it was pursuing universal coverage by working towards providing healthy, nutritious and climate-friendly meals to 10 million children by 2030.
Part of the government's strategy is the home-grown school meals model, which seeks to source food locally from smallholder farmers.
The Education Ministry said an aggregator model was being tested in two counties to strengthen the link between school feeding and local agricultural production.
Duale also pointed to improvements in child health over the years. He said under-five mortality had dropped from 115 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2003 to 41 in 2022.
During the same period, stunting among children under five declined from 36 per cent to 18 per cent.
Recent health data also records an under-five mortality rate of about 41 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, alongside stunting at 18 per cent and wasting at 5 per cent.
Despite these gains, malnutrition remains a concern, with poverty, climate shocks and unequal access to services continuing to affect children.
The Health Ministry has described the situation as a triple burden of malnutrition, covering undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and rising obesity.
According to the ministry, stunting fell from 36 per cent in 2003 to 18 per cent in 2022, while wasting declined from 7.5 per cent to about 4 per cent.
Duale said Kenya was pushing for continued investment in maternal and child health, stronger national health systems and food systems capable of coping with climate pressures.
“Our measure of success must ultimately be whether every child, particularly those in vulnerable households, has the opportunity to survive, thrive and reach their full potential,” he said.