The Evolution of Kenya’s School Feeding Programme
Kenya’s track record in implementing a school feeding programme for nearly 30 years is a testament to its evolution. Over the decades, the programme has been pivotal in providing meals for pre-primary and primary school children. The first documented school feeding programme was initiated in 1979 by the late President Moi, who provided fresh milk known as “Nyayo Milk”. This initiative aimed to increase enrolment and attendance amongst pre-primary and primary school children in public schools.
The National School Meals and Nutrition Strategy 2017-2022 in Kenya serves as a crucial framework for implementing school meals and nutrition programmes. It aligns with national and international obligations and is supported by key documents such as the Kenya Constitution, Vision 2030 and various education plans. These documents underscore the government’s commitment to providing resources for school meals and addressing health and nutrition needs in schools.
The national school meals strategy includes implementing National School Health Policies, ensuring adequate nutrition for school-age children and addressing specific micronutrient deficiencies that can affect students’ performance. While the school feeding programme in Kenya has a long history, there is a pressing need for clear guidance from the national and county governments on how to run the initiative effectively.
Challenges and Opportunities
Challenges such as inconsistent political commitments, limited resources and a lack of a clear operational plan could impede the implementation of the National School Meals and Nutrition Strategy. Both past and current governments have prioritised the school feeding programme to address issues such as high school dropout rates, poor academic performance and increasing cases of malnutrition. If managed well, the initiative’s benefits far outweigh its costs, offering hope for a brighter future for learners in Kenya.
The change in Kenya’s constitution in 2010 gave county governments a crucial role in bridging the services gap with the central government. This change allows them to position themselves as key links in ensuring that vulnerable learners have access to school meals. According to the National School Meals and Nutrition Strategy (2017–2022), there are five modalities for implementing the school feeding programme:
- Decentralised modality: Funds are transferred from the national or county governments to local levels, such as devolved government units, schools, community committees or other stakeholders.
- Centralised modality: Procurement is undertaken at either national or county levels, and the food is distributed to schools for preparation.
- Outsourced catering services: The supply and provision of meals is outsourced, and catering services may be contracted by schools or governments for food supply and delivery.
- Community-based modality: This presents several options.
- Mixed modality: This enables different stakeholders to organise their school meal and nutrition initiatives according to regional peculiarities, while adhering to national policies and guidelines.
Expansion and Partnerships
In 2023, the Kenyan government signed a Ksh 1.7 billion Intergovernmental Partnership Agreement to expand the school meals programme, aiming to provide meals for over 1.9 million learners in public schools. The initiative would be implemented through a 50:50 partnership between the Nairobi County and the National government. Additionally, Ksh 5 billion was earmarked by the government for the expansion of the programmes to other counties.
Nairobi County was allocated Ksh 1.2 billion to feed 250,000 children, with parents contributing five shillings daily and the county covering the remaining costs. The Nairobi County initiative, dubbed “Dishi na County”, appears to be on track to meet its objectives. Nairobi County has partnered with Food for Education – a well-known NGO with expertise in cooking and delivering food to school children across Kenya – to implement the Dishi na County school feeding programme.
Since its inception on 28 August 2023, they have set up several kitchens and provided meals to 184,000 school children from public primary schools and Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centres. Food for Education prepares nutritious meals from the central kitchens, packing them in specially sealed containers to keep the meals warm and safe from contamination as they transport them to neighbouring schools in specialised food trucks.
Parents pay for subsidised school lunches using mobile money, which has nearly 100% penetration in Kenya. The amount is credited to a virtual wallet linked to a near-field communication (NFC) technology-enabled smart wristband, which students use to “tap to eat” every day, taking less than five seconds. Dishi na County does not accept any cash payments for Tap2Eat food.
Reaching the Most Vulnerable
Despite the uncertain national outlook of the school feeding programme due to funding challenges, the Nairobi County initiative appears to be on track to meet its objectives. However, the programme has not yet reached informal schools in Nairobi County. UN-Habitat estimates that 60-70% of Nairobi’s almost 4.4 million residents (as of 2019) live in informal settlements.
In 2020, 382,237 students were enrolled in primary schools across Nairobi City County, and over 60% could not access government schools due to distance. Out of the 850 primary schools, only 24% are government schools. Informal schools, therefore, provide alternative basic education to many children in informal settlements who cannot attend formal public, private or faith-based schools and early childhood development education (ECDE) centres due to various circumstances.
A preliminary study conducted in 2022-2023 in Mathare and Viwandani informal settlements of Nairobi by the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) identified children as most vulnerable to food insecurity, resulting in poor health and developmental outcomes. The school feeding programme was identified as one of the most impactful interventions for addressing children’s food insecurity.
To bridge this gap, ACRC plans to develop collaborative and sustainable solutions to improve learners’ health and nutrition outcomes in Nairobi’s informal settlements. This will be achieved through action research initiatives in the city, providing actionable evidence on sustainable solutions for learners in informal primary schools, ECDE centres, and home-based daycare centres. The evidence gathered from these initiatives aims to advocate for policy change, support local initiatives and encourage community-driven efforts to strengthen the school feeding programmes.
The Role of School Meals in Promoting Holistic Development
School meal programmes can have a transformative impact on children’s education, health, and nutrition. They can address many challenges, such as high school dropout rates, poor academic performance, and increasing cases of malnutrition. When implemented effectively, the benefits of school feeding programmes far outweigh their costs, offering hope for a brighter future for learners in Kenya.
According to the World Food Programme (WFP), school meal programmes are a multisectoral game-changer that improve children’s education, health, and nutrition. More broadly, they support the whole community by providing an important safety net and by strengthening food systems and economies.
The WFP has more than six decades of experience working with governments to support their school meals and health initiatives, having collaborated with more than 100 countries to set up sustainable national school meal programmes. Their ultimate goal is to encourage and facilitate national government ownership of these programmes – a transition that has already happened in 50 countries.
Better health and nutrition through school meals allow children to learn and perform better, broadening their educational opportunities. School-meal programmes also act as an incentive for families to enrol their children in school and keep them there. Relieving parents from having to budget for lunches, they lead to savings of about 10 percent of the income of vulnerable households.
By dissuading parents from marrying their daughters off early, which halts their education and can result in early pregnancies, school meals empower girls. School meals and complementary health interventions help build what is known as “human capital” – the sum of a population’s health, skills, knowledge, experience, and habits.
School meal programmes are often sourced from local smallholder farmers – under an approach known as “home-grown school feeding”. This benefits local economies and supports the establishment of better-designed, sustainable food systems that are gender and climate sensitive. Making meals more sustainable can substantially reduce national greenhouse gas emissions.
In many countries, school meals are the largest source of government procurement of food. Countries recognize these multisectoral benefits: in 2021, in response to the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on schoolchildren, governments established and now lead the global School Meals Coalition. The WFP is a proud supporter and serves as the secretariat of this group, which aims to restore, strengthen, and improve school-meal programmes worldwide.
Conclusion
Kenya’s school feeding programme has the potential to be a vital safety net for the most vulnerable learners, particularly those in informal settlements. While the Nairobi County initiative, “Dishi na County”, appears to be on track, there is a pressing need to ensure that all children, including those in informal schools, can benefit from this transformative programme.
The African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) is taking steps to bridge this gap through collaborative and sustainable solutions that improve learners’ health and nutrition outcomes in Nairobi’s informal settlements. By providing actionable evidence and advocating for policy change, the ACRC aims to support local initiatives and encourage community-driven efforts to strengthen the school feeding programmes.
As the World Food Programme emphasises, school meal programmes are a multisectoral game-changer that can have a profound impact on children’s education, health, and nutrition, while also supporting the broader community. By sustaining and expanding Kenya’s school feeding programme, we can ensure a brighter future for all learners, regardless of their background or circumstances.
To stay informed about the latest developments and initiatives related to the school feeding programme, we encourage you to visit the Stanley Park High School website. Together, we can work towards a more equitable and nourishing educational landscape for the children of Kenya.
