- Murang’a County has unveiled a Sh200 million school feeding programme targeting 215,000 learners in ECDE, primary and junior secondary schools, following a two-year pilot.
- The county has confirmed 67 kitchens are under construction ahead of an October completion deadline, with the January rollout set to initially cover 20,000 learners at Sh15 per plate.
- Governor Kang’ata has said the programme will source milk from Murang’a County Creameries Union and mangoes and other produce from local farmers, creating a ready market for county producers.
A school feeding intervention programme has been unveiled in Murang’a, designed to provide 215,000 learners with affordable and quality meals.
The Sh200 million programme, initiated by Governor Irungu Kang’ata in partnership with Food for Education, follows a two-year pilot in selected schools and is set to be commissioned next year. It will benefit learners in ECDE, primary and junior secondary school across the county.
In a notice to the public, the Murang’a County Government said the programme will be rolled out in January, initially catering for 20,000 learners’ meals, with the cost per plate set at Sh15, down from Sh20. The county said 67 kitchens across the sub-counties are already under construction and are expected to be ready by October this year.
Heads and chairpersons of participating schools will undergo training next month ahead of the rollout, followed by community meetings in each of the 418 institutions covered by the programme.
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According to Kang’ata, the programme will source 200,000 packets of milk monthly from Murang’a County Creameries Union, along with a million mangoes per month during the mango season, which runs from January to March. The governor said other food crops would be sourced from local farmers, positioning schools as a ready market, building on what he described as successful porridge programmes already running in ECDE centres.
Peter Kaloki, a resident of Ithanga, welcomed the initiative, saying it would help children concentrate on schoolwork and perform better. “We in the lower parts of the county have suffered for years owing to less rain, as the school feeding programme will help the learners in the lower classes,” he said.
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