Machogu: State and counties to partner in school feeding plan

President William Ruto when he joined Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja during the launch of the Nairobi County School Feeding Programme at Roysambu Primary School on June 20. [Hiram Omondi, PCS].

Basic Education PS Belio Kipsang said the 'tap and eat' technology that will be used by the Dishi Na County, will also be helpful in knowing the school population and attendance data.

City governor Johnson Sakaja said the progress of the kitchen construction is almost 50 per cent complete.

He said the school feeding programme will be followed up with education infrastructure development by increasing schools and classrooms which will be a partnership with the national government.

"We are turning a new page on education in Nairobi because the city's child has been left behind for a long time," said Sakaja.

He added: "Devolution is not competition but partnership to work together. We are building 5,000 classrooms out of which the national government will take care of 3,500. Every year, for the next three years, the central government will be putting in Sh1 billion while we inject Sh500 million into this classroom project."

The governor assured current staff involved in cooking and serving food that they will not lose their jobs since they will be given first priority among the 2,000 people that will be employed in the programme.

The city boss also said the county plans to increase schools starting with 14 wards that have no public school.

Working with the ministry

"We have a technical group that is working with the ministry, led by the PS and my chief officer. They are preparing a report on how this will be done. We will build the new classrooms in existing schools with a focus on storey buildings that take less land," said Sakaja.

Kenya Primary School Head Teachers Association (Kepsha) chairman Johnson Nzioka asked CS to continue with school capitation to ensure improvement of infrastructure in schools, especially the Alternative Providers for Basic Education and Training (APBET) schools.

He also called on Sakaja to help address the huge water bills schools are incurring, which he said, are running into millions of shillings.

"Kindly think of waiving the water bills. After offering the children free food, we hope they can also be given free water," said Nzioka, in a speech read on his behalf by the association's treasurer Ken Kyeva.