• He said school heads need to support the implementation team by facilitating the monitoring and evaluation of the programme.
• He reiterated that the government will secure additional partnerships and resources in order to expand the reach of the school meals programme.
Image: PCS
The Ministry of Education is set to partner with Nairobi County government for the provision of school meals to learners in public primary schools.
Through the initiative, 17 kitchens will be constructed in various parts of the county, with each kitchen serving between 10 -15 schools in the County.
Education CS Ezekiel Machogu said the kitchens will help ensure 293,019 learners in pre-primary and primary schools in Nairobi City County access meals in their schools.
Machogu was speaking on Wednesday at St. Georges Primary School during a meeting with Headteachers of public primary schools from various counties.
He said the initiative will help ensure more learners access nutritious meals and stay in school.
“This initiative is intended to enhance and boost the current school meals Programme, particularly in Nairobi City County. Without food, many learners in food-insecure regions would be unable to attend or remain in school,” Machogu said.
“The school meals Programme is therefore essential in ensuring that learners’ attention is focused on their school life and that they are not distracted by the fears and concerns of hunger.”
He added that the Ministry of Education and the Nairobi City County Government are finalizing a legal instrument that will facilitate the partnership.
The CS said school heads will be expected to facilitate access to the schools and sensitize the school communities, especially parents, guardians, and learners about the programme.
“To ensure the smooth and efficient roll-out of the programme, we will depend on you for accurate data on the enrolment in your schools so that the correct quantities of food are supplied,” Machogu said.
He said school heads need to support the implementation team by facilitating the monitoring and evaluation of the programme.
“Once the legal instrument is finalised, the ministry will provide you with further guidance on the programme, and what is expected of you,” Machogu said.
He reiterated that the government will secure additional partnerships and resources in order to expand the reach of the school meals programme.
“We need to ensure, for example, that all Special Needs Schools and Camp-Based Refugee Schools countrywide are under the school meals programme,” Machogu said.
“Even as we expand the programme, we are conscious of the need to use methods that are friendly to our environment. This is why we are also working towards clean energy cooking solutions for our schools.”