Murang'a starts piloting feeding plan to keep learners in school

Murang’a county government has started a school feeding programme that will see parents contribute Sh20 only per plate for their children.

The programme that is being piloted in 55 schools is being implemented in partnership with Food 4 Education organisation that provides subsidised food for vulnerable children in public primary schools to improve their lives and performance.

According to Governor Irungu Kang’ata, parents approached his administration seeking to have the Uji programme being implemented in all ECDE centres replicated in primary schools.

Under the Uji programme, over 42,000 ECDE learners are provided with a cup of porridge every day as a way of complementing their diet and keeping them in school.

The governor said under the school feeding programme, learners will be fitted with digital wristbands that will be embedded with technology that will help parents load money on it through M-pesa.

“This is a voluntary programme aimed at ensuring pupils stay in school and get a well-balanced lunch. It also creates jobs and a market for local farmers,” he said.

Kang’ata said his education department had undertaken a survey that indicated that a huge number of public primary schools pupils skip lunch due to financial constraints.

Others fail to carry home-made lunch to school because their parents are too busy in the morning to prepare it for them, he added.

With the programme, however, the pupils will access a cheap plate of food that will help them focus on their studies better.

The governor said the pilot programme will run for two years after which it will be rolled out to all public primary schools if successful.

“If it experiences hitches, then we will have the chance to improve on it and make it better. It will be hinged on the infrastructure that is already in place for the Uji programme that already has 55 kitchen centres,” he said.

The governor said the Sh20 contribution by parents is reasonable and that his administration will then top up the remaining amount and get workers who will prepare the food.

The foodstuff, he added, will be sourced locally from farmers which will boost their earnings and provide them with a reliable market.

Anne Wairimu, a parent, said the Sh20 contribution will be affordable to many parents and will save them the hustle of preparing food for their children in the morning.

Wairimu lauded the county government for the programme saying many parents could also not afford to provide lunch for their children in school.

“This programme will bring equity among all pupils and give them an equal chance to study and perform better,” she said, adding that a large number of parents in the grassroots are casual labourers with meagre earnings.