Public primary schools will be legally required to incorporate a free meals program into their daily school activities, if a proposed bill is passed.
The proposed Basic Education (Amendment) Bill 2015 will also make it illegal for school heads to charge extra fee for the meals, set to be provided by the government.
School heads who go against the directive, if the bill is passed into law, will be will be fined Sh100,000 or jailed for a period not exceeding one year or face both punishments.
The program will cost the government about Sh34 billion as the county has more than 22,000 public primary schools which translated to about 10 million pupils.
The amendment bill was proposed by Kiharu MP Irungu Kang’ata who says the bill is meant to be an an extra incentive for pupils to attend school while actualizing their constitutional right to basic nutrition.
Reports indicate that meals provided in schools, especially in the arid areas have served to increase the number of children attending school.
The bill is currently under consideration by the Budget and Appropriations Committee, which is expected to give a word once the review process is over.
