Sakaja's school feeding program kitchens near completion

He said pupils in public primary schools and ECDs will benefit.

Parents and guardians will pay only Sh5 per day per plate.

According to Sakaja, 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.

The centralised kitchens are being constructed in Baba Dogo Primary School, Bidii Primary School, Kwa Njenga Primary, Farasi Lane Primary, Muthangari Primary, Kayole One Primary, Njiru Primary, Toi Primary, Roysambu Primary and Racecourse Primary.

Ministry, Nairobi County sign deal on School Feeding

"The modern school feeding Industrial Area mega kitchen facility will provide at least 60,000 plates per day to back-up schools that might fall short of the required meals," Sakaja said in a press release.

He said City Hall in the 2023-2024 budget has allocated Sh1.7billion towards the program dubbed 'DISHI na County'.

Dining hall with modern boilers at Farasi Lane Primary School. [GPS]

Some Sh500 million is allocated to build seven more kitchens and the rest will subsidise the cost of a plate for each child.

An education lobby group has however threatened to challenge the initiative claiming it may not be all inclusive.

Education Rights Specialist Muthoni Ouko said there are more needy children in non-formal schools in Nairobi than there are in public primary schools.

''We shall move to court to seek orders stopping spending of Nairobi County funds In programmes that Further Marginalize the poorest of the poor in Nairobi and programs that do not seek to share Nairobi's wealth equitably,'' Muthoni said.

Muthoni who is also the Executive Director, Tunza Mtoto Coalition that operates in slums said she would mobilise parents of whose children are deprived to mass action and also petition the Members of County Assembly (MCAs) whose wards will be locked out of the programme.