The Nairobi County Government has revealed that it is in the process of making the Ksh2.1 billion Dishi na County programme permanent and part of Nairobi's Education system.
In a notice dated September 25, Godfrey Akumali, Head of County Public Service, assured that if the School Feeding Policy (2025) sails through, every child learning in a Nairobi public institution will receive safe and nutritious meals daily, which will improve education, health and social protection outcomes.
"The Policy seeks to institutionalize the School Feeding Programme to ensure that every learner in Nairobi City receives a safe, nutritious daily meal to support education, health, and social protection outcomes," the notice read.
The Dishi na County model, which was introduced in mid-2023, is designed to be accessible to all students, where all parents pay a nominal fee of Ksh5, facilitated through a Tap2Eat payment system embedded in a digital Near Field Communication (NFC) watch.
In the financial year 2023/24, the Nairobi County Government spent Sh1.7 billion to support the programme, with an additional Sh400 million allocated in the 2024/25 supplementary budget, meaning that if the policy is approved, the county and national government will need to pump more than Ksh2 billion annually to ensure its effectiveness.
Through the policy, the county government plans to work hand in hand with the National government to ensure that the program is well-financed, advanced, and is steered by national guidelines.
Akumali has thus invited parents and guardians, school administrators, teachers, student representatives, community leaders, civil society groups, religious organizations, and NGOs working in education and health for a public participation forum.
Private sector actors in food and nutrition, as well as representatives of marginalized groups, have also been urged to take part in the forum.
Akumali said individuals can table their feedback in person by attending the public participation, which will be held on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, at Charter Hall, City Hall Buildings, from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm.
Additionally, stakeholders can submit a written memorandum to the Public Participation Offices on the 2nd floor, Main City Hall, or through the public participation email before October 1.
"Government hereby notifies the general public, stakeholders, and all interested persons of the planned public participation exercise on the proposed Nairobi City County School Feeding Policy, 2025," the notice read.
"Pursuant to Article 10(2)(a) of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 on the national values and principles of governance, Article 196(1)(b) of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 on public participation and involvement in legislative and other policy processes; Section 115 of the County Governments Act, 2012 on public participation in county planning activities and projects and in line with the Nairobi City County Public Participation Framework," it added.
