Pre-primary school children in Elgeyo Marakwet County are set to benefit from a free milk programme.
This follows a proposed partnership between the county government and New Kenya Cooperative Creameries (New KCC).
The initiative, which targets Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) learners, aims to improve child nutrition, boost school enrolment, and enhance retention rates across the region.
Speaking during a courtesy call to Governor Wisley Rotich in Iten, New KCC Managing Director Joseph Choge highlighted the importance of the collaboration. He noted that the county has long been a key supplier of milk to the KCC processing plant in Eldoret.
“We have had milk from this county that has sustained our milk factory in Eldoret, and we have now come here to explore how to collaborate with the County Government in the school feeding programme,” said Choge.
He emphasized the nutritional value of milk, adding: “We have to give pre-school children milk for proper nutrition. This will help them grow into healthy adults.”
Choge further assured that the programme would be implemented equitably across the region. “We will ensure that milk is distributed to children in every corner of the county,” he stated.
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Governor Rotich confirmed the county’s commitment, revealing that discussions to formalize the partnership are already underway.
“We have discussed a possible partnership on delivering milk under our school feeding programme to our ECDE learners,” he said.
He noted that the initiative is expected to have far-reaching socio-economic benefits, including improved health outcomes for children and increased school retention.
In addition to supporting learners, the programme is also poised to benefit local dairy farmers. Under the proposed agreement, New KCC will collect milk from county cooling plants for processing, with farmers guaranteed prompt and consistent payments.
“Farmers will be paid promptly and consistently at a rate of Sh.50 per litre,” the governor confirmed.
Rotich added that the milk programme aligns with broader efforts by county governments to strengthen school feeding initiatives as a strategy to improve education outcomes and enhance children’s welfare.
By Kimutai Langat
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