Nairobi’s Dishi na County programme has been handed a boost after the French Government pledged Sh 160 million towards the school feeding programme.
The money will go towards ensuring all children in Public Primary Schools and ECDs get a nutritious meal through the programme partner Food for Education.
The pledge was made by the French Minister of State for Development, Dr. Chrysoula Zacharopoulou on Monday when she joined Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja Johnson in Olympic Primary School, Kibra to oversee the feeding programme.
Welcoming the move, Sakaja said the funds will be well utilized to ensure the targetted children get their meals.
“The French Government has committed to support us in this program to the tune of €1 Million which adds to the 1.7b shillings we have provided as Nairobi County Govt and will help us continue subsidizing meals for the Children and scaling,” he said.
The feeding program which was effected last week will be implemented through an innovative three-stage approach.
Some Sh500 million was allocated to building seven more kitchens and the rest to subsidise the cost of a plate for each child.
In July, Governor Sakaja signed an intergovernmental partnership agreement with the national government on the implementation of a school meal plan in Nairobi.
The Sh1.7 billion agreement sets forth the terms of understanding between the parties in the implementation of the school meals programme in public primary schools in Nairobi.
At least 81, 208 school children in 42 schools in Nairobi will enjoy their meals in Phase one of the programme.
After two weeks 108,000 children are targeted for the second phase and the third phase will have 188,000.
Ten central kitchens for the programme have been under construction since June ahead of the launch.
They are located in Dagoretti North, Embakasi Central, Embakasi South, Kasarani, Kibra, Makadara, Starehe, Roysambu, Ruaraka, and Westlands sub-counties.
They are being constructed in Baba Dogo Primary School, Bidii Primary School, Kwa Njenga Primary, Farasi Lane Primary, Muthangari Primary, Kayole One Primary, Njiru Primary, Toi Primary, Roysambu Primary and Racecourse Primary.
In his first budget for 2023-24, Sakaja allocated Sh1.2 billion towards the feeding programme.