Public boarding schools in Nandi County are facing a serious food shortage due to the soaring food prices in the country as they struggle to feed students.
Governor Stephen Sang has revealed that secondary school heads in the county have been making requests to the county government to buy food for learners.
“Whenever I come to my office, I find several requests from schools asking my administration to support them to purchase maize and beans, which they cannot afford unless the prices drop,” he stated.
According to the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) Nandi Central Chairman Mr. Zakayo Chepchieng, schools now have to spend extra cash to keep learners in school.
Chepchieng noted that before the price of the commodities increased, schools had no challenges feeding students in boarding schools.
“Parents are still paying the same school fees, most of them in small installments unlike before when they paid complete sums without complaining to school heads,” said the official.
It has been noted that parents are struggling to pay school fees for their children, leaving the burden of feeding them on already financially strained schools.
Due to the high cost of living, school suppliers have also issued tough conditions to schools, demanding advance payment before supplying essential food items.
Many schools might end up changing their diet or ask parents to add on to the school fees in order to secure food for students.
By Thuita Jaswant
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