The Nairobi County Government has said that it would foot the bills of the needy students who would be unable to afford daily meals offered by ‘ Dishi na County’. The meals are offered under the feeding program launched by Governor Johnson Sakaja last month.
The feeding program dubbed, ‘Dishi na County’ started this week across schools in the country as students opened their third term. This program is a result of an Intergovernmental Partnership Agreement (IPA) between the county government and the national government.
Learners in public primary schools and Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centres will pay a daily fee of sh. 5 for the meals.
Students unable to pay the sh 5 will still have access to the meals under the cushioning from players in the private sector, individuals and corporate organisations. This was mentioned by the county government’s health services department.
Read Also: Sakaja Launches a Feeding Plan for Public Schools
“The county will work hand in hand with the private sector, individuals and corporates to fund a nutritionally balanced meal a day for children who are unable to afford,” said the county government.
“Children requiring special diet due to various disease conditions, allergies or special needs will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis at the school or ECDE centre, after a specialised assessment by a medical practitioner,” they added.
‘Dishi na County’ logistics
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The National Government will through the education ministry handle capacity building for Nairobi County on management, administration and implementation of the feeding program. It is inclusive of budgeting, monitoring and evaluating the implementation and construction operations of the kitchens in schools.
The County government of Nairobi will be in charge of the day-to-day running of the program. Sakaja aims to feed over 250,000 children with the program.
During the initial stages of the idea, the program received a lot of disagreement from fellow officeholders. Many claimed that there was a group of children that would be left out of the feeding program. This claim warranted the inclusion of the EDCE centres in the feeding program.
Read Also: Tunza Mtoto Coalition Resists Sakaja’s Plan to Give Free Meals
