President William Ruto on Tuesday announced plans to triple funding for Kenyan children in bid to contain hunger which impedes learning in most schools in the country especially in the informal settlements.
Speaking at the ministerial meetings on the Global Schools Meals Coalition in Nairobi, President William Ruto noted that most children are faced with hunger.
He noted school meals have far-reaching benefits as they make adequate nutrition accessible, foster learning, create jobs, promote sustainability and uplift communities.
“We have tripled the budgetary allocation for school feeding and set a clear goal, to expand the programme’s coverage from Ksh2.6 million to Ksh10 million children by 2030,” he stated.
This comes as the Ministry of Education has been allocated additional funds every year. The school feeding programme was allocated Ksh3 billion for the year 2023/2024.
Initially, the Ministry was allocated Ksh5.4 billion before it was slashed by Treasury. In the financial year 2022/ 2023 the programme was allocated Ksh.1.96 billion.
In 2009, the government adopted a sustainable and home-grown model, which relies on locally sourced nutritious foods and by 2018, the programme was fully integrated as a national initiative benefiting 2.6 million learners, a tenfold increase from the initial 240,000.
The President also praised donors who have helped support the programme. The Global School Meals Coalition brought together governments, multilateral organizations like the WFP, and philanthropies such as the Rockefeller Foundation and Novo Nordisk.
“The Coalition has given me the honour of working with leaders like Presidents Lula Da Silva of Brazil and Emmanuel Macron of France in advancing school meals globally,” he added.
Additionally, President Ruto welcomed well-wishers on board to better lives of children through provision of meals.
“I extend my gratitude to them and commend, in particular, Brazil’s G20-led Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty. Kenya calls on other nations to join us in this shared quest to ensure no child is left behind. 10.”
The Head of State noted that with the unwavering support of the partners, the country is better positioned to pave the way to a future where every child is nourished, empowered, and equipped to grow and succeed.
