The 10 new kitchens, currently under construction, will provide 400,000 daily lunches to children in Nairobi’s 225 primary schools and childcare facilities. The $8.6 million initiative is a partnership between the Nairobi government and Food4Education, a Kenyan non-profit that already feeds 150,000 primary school children in the capital Nairobi.

Kenyan President William Ruto talks to students at the launch of a school feeding programme in Nairobi. Photo: The Star

According to Save the Children, 26% of children in Kenya are stunted due to malnutrition. The lack of food has a significant impact on their academic performance. At the launch of the school feeding programme, Kenyan President William Ruto said: “We will be very deliberate and focused on ensuring the successful implementation of the school feeding programme. It is sad that children go to school hungry because of lack of food.” Mr Ruto noted that the government has also allocated 5 billion Kenyan shillings ($36 million) to expand the national feeding programme. This decision will increase the number of children receiving food through the programme from 1.6 million to 4 million.

Food4Education founder Wawira Njiru said that through the organization's partnership with the Nairobi City Government, the number of children served lunch every day will increase to 400,000. With additional partners joining the program, the number is expected to increase to 500,000 by the end of 2024. Food4Education was founded in 2012 as a makeshift kitchen, where a chef was hired and lunch was prepared for 25 children at Ruiru Primary School. Njiru said she decided to provide nutritious lunches to students from poor rural households and informal settlements after witnessing poverty and inequality among her classmates in Ruiru town, a suburb of Nairobi.

DUONG NGUYEN