The National Treasury in its proposed budget for the 2024-25 financial year has scrapped off funds for the school feeding programme.
The feeding programme was allocated Sh4.9 billion in the financial year ending June 30, 2024.
With the allocation scrapped more than 4.5 million learners who depend on meals provided in school are at risk of dropping out.
Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Education, Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said that currently, there are over two million students who are out of school, largely because of lack of food.
“We have to appreciate that the school feeding programme is so essential to the success of the students, that it is very important to make sure that every kid gets an education.
“It’s so important that that single meal the students get at lunchtime is retained. It’s so important that that cup of porridge that is given is retained because most students come without having any meal at home,” he told the Committee.
The PS further appealed to the National Assembly to see to it that the school feeding programme is reinstated.
Kipsang raised concern that Sh7 billion has been cut from the Ministry of Education’s recurrent budget.
The amounts include Sh4.9 billion for the school feeding programm, Free Day Secondary education capitation (Sh1.5 billion), Free Primary education (Sh1.2 billion) and Sh347 million for operations and maintenance.
Capitation monies for Junior Secondary Schools have also been lashed by Sh15.4 billion
Kipsang explained that while the initial amount requested for the JSS was Sh46.1 billion, the Treasury has only allocated Sh30.6 billion.
The PS warned of serious consequences in primary school, junior school and secondary schools if more money is not released allocated.
He also noted that the Kenya National Examination Center (KNEC), Kenya Science Equipment Production Unit (SEPU), National Council for Nomadic Education in Kenya (NACONEK), and Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA) are among four Semi-Autonomous Government Agencies (SAGAs) out of the nine in the ministry of education that have received zero allocations in the proposed budget.
