Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to ensuring that no pupil in the city’s public primary schools misses lunch because of the inability to pay the daily five-shilling contribution under the Dishi Na County school feeding programme.
Appearing before the Senate Committee on Education, Governor Sakaja said that the feeding programme launched in collaboration with partners was designed to uphold the dignity and well-being of every child in Nairobi’s public schools.
He revealed that part of the funding for the programme came from a Sh143 million grant committed by a French minister after visiting Kibra and witnessing the impact of the initiative on thousands of school children.
“One of the French ministers who came for the climate summit asked to see our programme, and I took her to Kibra,” Sakaja told senators. “She was so excited because she saw 46,000 children, all of them eating. So she committed a grant of Sh143 million. But the Sh143 million was sent directly with all the food to support our partner, so that Sh143 million was in food for education, not to the county government of Nairobi.”
Sakaja clarified that the French aid supports about 10 per cent of children from the most vulnerable families who cannot afford the five-shilling contribution, ensuring no learner is left out of the programme.
“What that Sh143 million does is to support 10 per cent of the children who can’t afford the five shillings per day,” he said. “There’s no worse lack of dignity than a child being pulled out of a lunch line. We will never allow that in our schools.”
The governor noted that the programme is closely audited and supported by a structured partnership framework to ensure accountability and transparency in food distribution.
He emphasised that it was not a grant to the county but a direct investment into food supplies for the children.
Addressing additional questions from senators, Sakaja said the county’s bursary and scholarship programmes, which were temporarily halted by the Controller of Budget, will soon resume.
“I’m glad that after this meeting, we are going to resume. I want to tell parents that the programme for bursaries and scholarships is resuming,” he stated.
He further highlighted the need for more classrooms across Nairobi’s public schools, particularly in informal settlements, to accommodate the growing number of learners benefiting from county and national government education initiatives.
Governor Sakaja reiterated his administration’s commitment to education equity and inclusive growth, saying, “Sustainable growth depends on giving every child, regardless of background, a fair chance to learn, eat, and thrive.”
Dishi na County is a Nairobi County Government school feeding program launched in 2023 to provide nutritious meals to public primary school and Early Childhood Development (ECD) students.
The initiative was created to combat hunger in schools, improve attendance, and boost academic performance by providing a hot, nutritious meal every school day. The program costs a nominal amount per meal, with the county covering the rest for families unable to pay the fee
