By Mutuvi Janet
Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ezekiel Machogu performed his first task as CS by flagging off 10 lorries which are to deliver food to schools in 8 arid and semi-arid counties.
The selected counties have been hit hard by the drought. They include Tana River, Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Turkana, Samburu, Isiolo and Marsabit.
The food is expected to last for a month and is meant to help address historical primary school absenteeism among impoverished communities.
Free meals are used as an incentive to attract school-aged children to class. In rural communities, where food is scarce, this daily meal provision relieves parents and guardians from the agony of looking for food for their children, as, at times the parents are unable to even fend for themselves.
The CS also launched a handbook entitled ‘History of Kenya’s School meal’ at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development.
The book, which was facilitated by different donors and other organizations, displays Kenyan experience in providing school meals to thousands of learners whose access to education was created possible through government school meal programmes in the ASAL regions.
Togo Consul Devotsu Koni, Deputy Executive Director for programme and Policy Development at World Food Programme Valerie Guarnieri and Daniel Whitley, the administrator of foreign agriculture service U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), among other partners contributed to this project.
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