Local leaders in Nyatike Sub-County, Migori County, have rolled out a feeding programme for 12,084 Grade Six and Grade Nine candidates in 150 examination centres during the national assessments.
The programme aims to ease the financial burden on parents and ensure that candidates from poor households have meals while they sit the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA).
The food was distributed to school heads at Wath Ong'er grounds. The schools received bags of rice, sugar, cooking oil and other cooking supplies to prepare meals throughout the assessment period.
Macalder Kanyarwanda Ward MCA Flex Okwanyo said the programme would create a better environment for learning and assessments. He said many families in Nyatike face economic challenges because the sub-county is semi-arid and classified as a hardship area, and that the programme would particularly help children whose parents struggle to provide enough food.
"Education is key to unlocking the potential of this young generation, and by ensuring we provide an enabling environment, we will not only be helping these children to perform better but also putting a smile on the faces of the communities they come from," Okwanyo said.
He said the programme, which will be coordinated through his office, is meant to boost candidates' confidence and morale.
School heads welcomed the programme, describing food as an important factor in learners' well-being and performance.
Alice Ogathi, head of Nyangere Comprehensive School in Nyatike South Sub-County, said it would help candidates focus on their assessments instead of worrying about their next meal. She said many learners at her school come from poor households where parents struggle to provide enough food.
"The food programme will help our children to excel and join good senior schools across the country and become good leaders in the future," she said.
Monicah Otieno, head of Saint Gabriel's Comprehensive School, said the meals would support learners' nutrition and help them stay attentive during the assessments. She said every candidate would receive meals without discrimination based on family background.
"The food programme will provide every student with a meal regardless of where they come from during this examination period," Otieno said.
Peterson Omollo, a parent at Onger Primary School, said the programme would ease the burden on families struggling with the rising cost of living. He said the money he had set aside to feed his Grade Six and Grade Nine children could now be used to restock his shop.
"What we have seen here today is pure servant leadership that aims to cushion parents and guardians from these hard economic times of providing food for their children during the examination period," he said.
The Nyatike programme is part of a wider food distribution initiative by Uriri MP Mark Nyamita, which targeted close to 865 public examination centres across Migori County's 12 sub-counties.
A total of 74,939 Grade Six and Grade Nine candidates in the county are expected to sit the assessments from Monday, October 26, to Friday, October 30, 2026.
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