By Peter Changtoek and
John Githinji
Nyandarua Governor Francis Kimemia recently launched Nyandarua’s Early Childhood School Feeding Programme, a first for the county.
Ahead of his election last August last year, Governor Kimemia had pledged to re-introduce free school feeding programme to increase enrolment in Nyandarua’s schools.
Speaking at Kagondo Primary School in Gwa Kung’u, Ndaragwa Sub-County, Kimemia said the programme is a major milestone for the County.
The programme aims to transform the lives of thousands of young nursery school children by providing access to nutritious fresh milk in their own schools.
Over 23,000 of pupils in Nyandarua’s 496 public Early Childhood Centres will be receiving a packet of free milk three times a week.
Kimemia said he will eventually implement free pre-primary education for all our children and ensure that such schools are within a reasonable distance from where the pupils reside.
Establishment of the programme has required one of the most extensive negotiations between several dairy processors, suppliers and service providers.
While provision and distribution of milk will initially be done by Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC), Kimemia said the milk will be provided from their Nyahururu depot whose catchment is Nyandarua’s dairy farmers, in a move expected to increase the latter’s market share.
“KCC will be expected to distribute the milk up to Ward level from where our Boda Boda youth groups will be contracted to transport it to individual ECDE centres. I direct Ward administrators, under their respective Sub-County administrators to take charge, coordinate and supervise the programme so as to ensure that the milk reaches the children as scheduled,” he said.
The administrators are expected to ensure secure storage for the milk and avoid losses through spillage, with support from officers under the County Commissioner.
He added that the county government will soon introduce a competitive scheme of service for Nyandarua’s 400 ECDE teachers to boost their capacity in the sector.
“My Government will soon employ a further 200 to boost our teacher-learner ratio. A draft scheme of service for ECDE teachers aimed at absorbing all of them under permanent and pensionable terms is now in place awaiting validation by the Council of Governors,” he said.
In addition, Governor Kimemia said every Ward in Nyandarua will benefit from construction and furniture of two ECDE centres as well as modern ablution facilities.
Already, 12,000 school uniforms have been procured for distribution to needy pupils.
To boost the learners’ transition through all levels of schooling, Governor Kimemia said disbursement of the County Bursary Fund has been fast-tracked, with cheques for this year’s Sh40 million set for distribution soon.
A subsidized grant will also soon be disbursed to each of the 1,600 trainees in Nyandarua’s youth polytechnics.
