A school meal programme in Nairobi is closing in on a 100 million-meal milestone, with Governor Johnson Sakaja saying the target is expected to be reached in November.
Dishi na County has already served 85 million meals to more than 324,000 children on every school day across the capital’s 17 constituencies, and the county is now preparing to take the programme to public day secondary schools.
The initiative was launched three years ago after the county government identified hunger as a major challenge affecting children in school. Since then, the programme has provided daily meals to learners in public primary schools while also helping parents who struggle to provide food for their children during the school day.
Sakaja said the programme came after the county assessed the situation facing learners across Nairobi and found that many were going to school without having eaten.
“When we looked at Nairobi, we found that nearly one in every four learners was going to school without food or missing meals altogether. We could not accept a situation where hunger was standing between a child and their education,” Sakaja said.
He said the county wanted to ensure children were able to stay in class, pay attention to their lessons and continue with their education without hunger becoming a barrier.
“We did not want hunger to be the reason a child could not concentrate in class, could not stay in school or had to learn on an empty stomach. Dishi na County was our commitment that every child deserves the dignity of a meal while pursuing their education.”
The meals are prepared through 17 central kitchens located across the county and then supplied to public schools in Nairobi’s 17 sub-counties.
As the programme approaches its latest milestone, Sakaja said the number of meals already provided shows the reach of the initiative and the effect of bringing together different efforts to address school hunger.
“Eighty-five million meals later, and this November we shall celebrate 100 million meals. We can look back and see what collective action can achieve,” he said.
Sakaja said the daily figures also tell the story of thousands of individual children who now have the assurance of getting food while in school.
“Today, 324,000 children are being fed every school day across all 17 constituencies. But behind that number are individual children who can sit in class knowing that they will have a meal.”
The programme has also become a source of relief for parents who leave home each day to work and provide for their families.
Nairobi County executive for health, wellness and nutrition Suzanne Silantoi said parents only need to contribute Sh5 for their children to receive a nutritious meal at school.
“With just Sh5, a school-going child is assured of a nutritious meal. For parents who are out working and providing for their families, that is one less thing to worry about during the day. They know that while their child is in school, they will eat,” Silantoi said.
Silantoi said the programme had changed how the county looks at hunger among schoolchildren. She said the issue was no longer being treated simply as a problem for individual families, but as an issue that affects children’s education and their future.
“When a child is hungry, it affects their ability to learn. It affects attendance, concentration and ultimately their opportunity to succeed. Feeding children is therefore not just a welfare intervention; it is an investment in Nairobi’s human capital.”
However, the programme has not been without difficulties. Since it was introduced, it has faced legal battles, concerns over how it was being implemented and efforts aimed at stopping it.
Despite the challenges, the county has continued with the feeding initiative and is now planning its next stage.
Sakaja said public day secondary schools will be brought into the programme as the county seeks to reach older learners who may also face difficulties accessing meals during school hours.
The planned expansion will make use of the infrastructure already created through the 17 central kitchens, which currently support the feeding of children in public primary schools across the county.
Sakaja said the cost of feeding learners in public day secondary schools makes the expansion achievable, with the expense estimated at about 65 per cent of what the county currently spends on the Dishi na County programme.
“The cost of day secondary school feeding is about 65 per cent of what we are currently spending on Dishi na County, so it is something we can achieve. We shall now put day secondary schools into the programme,” Sakaja said.
The move is expected to extend the county’s school feeding efforts to another group of learners while building on the system already in place.
For Nairobi, the push towards 100 million meals marks another stage in a programme that was created to ensure children do not have to sit through lessons on empty stomachs.
The county says it will continue working to reach more learners as it prepares to mark the 100 millionth meal in November.