Every child must eat, with or without paying Sh5 – Nairobi Country
Nairobi County has confirmed that all school children in public schools covered by the first and second phases of the Dishi Na County school feeding programme will receive food.
According to the County Executive Committee Member for Health Ms Susan Silantoi, no child will be denied food for failing to pay the daily payment of Sh5.
In an interview with Spice FM on Thursday morning, the CEC assured parents that there will be no discrimination when it comes to feeding children at school.
“With the implementation that we were doing last term, we saw about 2 percent of children were not able to pay and we are finding ways to deal with those who are exceptionally in need. We will cater for that as well. No child will be turned away or left without food,” Ms Silantoi said on January 18.
The CEC said that currently, more than 150 schools are receiving the subsidized food, and that the third phase of the program will be rolled out soon to complete the target of reaching out to more than 250, 000 children.
Also, the CEC said that the County will establish a board that will look into the operationalization of the school feeding program, to ensure that every shilling is accounted for.
The board will also help the county on the best way of implementing the program going forward even as it looks at bringing onboard the private sector, which will see private schools also benefiting.
The CEC also said that there is goodwill from the parents in the county towards the program as some parents are willing to pay the daily Sh5 for other students.
When Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja launched the program last year, he said that the main purpose was to allow the school-going children to attend classes without failure due to hunger.
Sakaja stated that it was unfortunate that the county has been for too long ignored the poverty, which has prevented many students from attending school.
In June last year, Kenya’s Kwanza government partnered with Nairobi County to support the Dishi Na County program.
According to the county, the food is nutritious and arrives on time, hence minimizing disruption to schools.
The actual amount that each child was supposed to pay for the meal is Sh45, but the county’s partnership with other sectors has reduced the amount to Sh5, making it affordable for parents.