Over 7,500 students in Kiharu to receive free meal

More than 7,500 KCPE candidates from Kiharu constituency, Murang'a county, will benefit from a free feeding programme during the national examinations.

The 172 public primary schools have received bags of rice sufficient to cover their candidates from philanthropist Karanja Mburu.

Most parts of the constituency are semi-arid with high poverty levels.

Njeri Kamau, a parent at Githuguya Primary School, said though the school has a feeding programme, most of the parents struggle to pay the Sh1,230 they are charged per term for meals.

She said with the free rice, all pupils will be able to sit for the examinations without the worry of having to go home during lunch hour to get their meals.

"This will give them time to compose themselves and prepare for the afternoon papers," Njeri said.

She thanked Karanja for constructing a Sh1.2 million water tank with the capacity to store 250,000 litres of water.

The school's chairperson George Gachugu said many parents have been struggling to clear school fees due to the high poverty levels.

"This area is semi-arid and the farms are unproductive. Parents struggle just to keep their children in school," he said. 

"We have tried to have a feeding programme to avoid situations where children go home during lunchtime." 

On his part, Karanja said he has been providing food to KCPE candidates for the last seven years to provide a uniform chance for all children to sit for the exams.

Karanja said the rice bags cost him Sh 1 million and that parents would be required to cater for the stew.

He asked well-wishers to chip in and provide breakfast to the children to make their experience as comfortable as possible.

The philanthropist said the government should consider including the public school feeding programmes into the CDF, saying many pupils from poor families were going to schools on an empty stomach.

“This is something that should be continuous and not only done during examinations. There is no reason why children should be required to carry food from home and end up eating cold food that may cause stomach disorders,” he said.

Through Can Do Kids, an American NGO, and Karanja Mburu Foundation, more than 100 water tanks worth Sh 120 million were installed in public primary schools in the constituency.

This includes four communal water tanks established in partnership with Murang’a Water and Sanitation Company.

The water tanks are aimed at improving hygiene in schools and increasing pupils' study time by reducing the need for them to trek to rivers to fetch water for school use.

(edited by Amol Awuor)