By Our Reporter
The government is feeding more than 2.5 million learners in Arid and Semi-Arid (ASAL) counties as well as informal settlements in urban areas, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Mr. Ezekiel Machogu has said.
He said the learners are spread in 10 ASAL Counties, 16 semi-arid counties and informal urban settlements in 10 counties.
The CS made the remarks when the Representative and Country Director of World Food Programme (WFP) Kenya, Ms. Lauren Landis paid a courtesy call on him in his office at Jogoo House.
Mr. Machogu said the government was committed to provide school meals to the targeted learners so as to sustain their access to education.
He thanked WFP, among other development partners and donors for the support they gave the government in ensuring children in the targeted areas accessed education.
Ms. Lauren Landis assured the Cabinet Secretary of WFP’s commitment to strengthening the long-standing partnership between UN-WFP-Kenya and the Ministry of Education.
She expressed satisfaction that the Ministry’s school meals programme that currently reaches approx. 2.5 million children and which transitioned to the Ministry’s full responsibility in 2018 was a great success and a model for other Governments.
She assured the Cabinet Secretary that WFP-Kenya will continue to engage through the ongoing capacity strengthening which had already led to the development of the Kenya School Meals Policy.
Ms. Landis assured the cabinet secretary that WFP stood ready to work with the Government to preserve the gains and continuity of Kenya’s school meals programme until the drought situation in Kenya is stabilized.
Present during the occasion was the Principal Secretary for Basic Education, Dr. Belio Kipsang.
