Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja serving learners./FILE
The country has taken a bold step towards ending classroom
hunger, following the launch of its first Model Pre-Primary School Feeding Policy for
County Governments at the Devolution Conference.
The policy, developed jointly by the Council of Governors
and Food4Education, provides a consistent framework for all 47 counties to
implement equitable, sustainable and locally driven school feeding programmes.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki presided over the launch of
the policy at the end of the conference on Friday.
The DP described the policy as a “critical lever to combat
malnutrition and short-term hunger among Kenya’s youngest learners” and urged
counties to prioritise its adoption.
“By integrating school feeding into our governance
structures, we are ensuring no child is too hungry to learn and no community
is left behind,” Kindiki said.
The launch came a day after F4E hosted a high-level panel
discussion, “Nourishing Kenya’s Future”, which brought together county leaders,
development partners and educators to explore school feeding as a driver of
inclusive development and economic growth.
The rights-based, multi-sectoral framework aligns with
national nutrition standards and promotes food sourcing from local farmers to
strengthen rural economies.
The policy establishes clear financing mechanisms and embeds
strong accountability measures.
“Financing remains the most significant barrier to the
effective implementation and long-term sustainability of school feeding
programme,” the policy says.
In a bid to ensure programme's sustainability, the policy
provides that counties shall integrate the programme into their development
plans.
They will establish sustainable school feeding funds as per
the PFM Act as well as pre-primary education capitation grants that include
provisions for school meals.
Counties will enhance collaborations with private sector
entities, development partners, parents and local communities.
“They will recruit and deploy adequate and relevant human
resources to support school feeding programmes,” the policy says.
The counties shall implement the home-grown school feeding models that prioritise local agricultural production
and sourcing.
They will facilitate linkages between the school feeding
programme and local farmer cooperatives and encourage local food processing and
preservation technologies to guarantee year-round food availability.
“Promote local food processing and preservation technologies
to guarantee year-round food availability and reduce post-harvest losses,” it
says.
Data from counties already implementing the programme show
significant gains in access, attendance and local economic impact.
In Mombasa county, more than 25,000 learners are fed daily, with
ECDE attendance rising by 21.7 per cent and absenteeism dropping by 80 per cent
in schools.
The programme in this coastal city sources a majority of its
food locally and has delivered over nine million meals since its inception.
In Murang’a county, 42,000 ECDE learners receive fortified
porridge daily, while a hot lunch pilot - now reaching 8,000 learners - has
boosted attendance by 10.7 per cent, with more than 3.4 million meals served.
In Embu county, more than 23,000 ECDE learners benefit from
daily porridge, supported by a homegrown sourcing model that links farmer
cooperatives to schools in a semi-arid setting.
The county has delivered more than 100,000 meals since its inception.
These three county governments, together with the Nairobi county, which feeds more than 300,000 learners daily, have partnered with
F4E to make school feeding a core aspect of devolved government.
Overall, last year, enrolment in pre-primary education across the
country increased by 3.8 per cent to 2.9 million learners, with boys accounting
for 1.49 million and girls 1.45 million.
This rise is linked to enhanced support and investments from county governments, such as through the school feeding programme.
The number of pre-primary schools grew by 2.95 per cent to
48,721 and more than 5,950 new classrooms were constructed within the year.
Teacher recruitment also improved, with 78,101 teachers
employed by County Governments and 27,997 by private providers, resulting in a
better pupil-teacher ratio of 37:1.
F4E played a central role in shaping the new policy,
bringing 13 years of school feeding expertise, technical support, and
operational insights to its design.
While speaking about the policy during the “Nourishing
Kenya’s Future” panel discussion, Shalom Ndiku, Director of Public Affairs at
F4E, said:
“This policy is a commitment to the children of Kenya in
public pre-primary educational institutions. At Food4Education, we have seen
the power of one hot meal transform a child’s life and the life of a
community.”
Ndiku noted that as counties begin to customize and adopt
the framework, F4E will continue providing technical assistance, innovation
support, and capacity building, from kitchens to county assemblies.
“This is the first ever harmonised county framework for
pre-primary school feeding in Kenya. It marks a shift from isolated efforts to
coordinated, county-owned programmes with the systems and resources to scale
and last,” he said.
Speakers at the launch called for the policy to be enshrined
in law, supported by dedicated budgets, and backed with tech-enabled, homegrown
models, urging all 47 counties to legislate, finance, and institutionalise
school feeding programmes so that every child receives a nutritious meal every
school day, with dignity, equity, and opportunity.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
School feeding programs are globally recognized as powerful interventions that significantly benefit child development, education, public health, food security, and local economic growth. In Kenya, these programs have been particularly crucial in tackling high rates of malnutrition among young learners, conditions such as stunting, wasting, underweight, and micronutrient deficiencies. Findings from the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey show that nationally, 18 per cent of children under five are stunted, 10 per cent are underweight, 3 per cent are overweight or obese, and 42 per cent of pregnant women experience iron deficiency anaemia.
