The Nairobi City County Government ‘Dishi Na County’ school feeding program is set to be further expanded after President William Ruto gave the nod for the program which is aimed at providing lunch meals for school pupils in in public Primary Schools and Early Childhood Development Education centers within Nairobi.
Speaking in New York where he is attending the United Nations General Assembly meeting, President Ruto affirmed that the national government has agreed with the Nairobi City County to partner in the implementation of the program noting that 250,000 learners are set to benefit from the school feeding program in Nairobi.
“We have just agreed with the Nairobi City county which is a beneficiary of this threshold program on expanding school feeding program in Nairobi and especially in the urban informal settlements so support for Nairobi county counts for so much,” President Ruto said.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja made a reality the ‘Dishi na County’ school feeding initiative with the roll out of the programme which is currently benefiting more than 88,000 children who have been getting lunch time meals from the opening date of the schools third term with the program designed to feed over 250,000 children after the completion of construction of more kitchens to supplement the existing 10 kitchens.
The Dishi Na County, which is a brainchild of the Nairobi Governor was launched earlier this year launched by President Ruto in Kasarani and the president has given it his full support.
Sakaja has reiterated that the program aims at cushioning poor and vulnerable parents from the current economic shocks while keeping children in schools.
This he said in the end will increase enrollment and transition to higher learning institutions in public primary schools and ECDs across 17 sub-counties in Nairobi.
Some Sh500 million is allocated to build seven more kitchens and the rest will subsidize the cost of a plate for each child.
At the same time the President announced that the national government is working with Sakaja’s county administration to have a review of Nairobi’s special planning as the government plans to have a pilot program in Nairobi on city planning.