Kenya is seeking to deepen its partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) as the government steps up efforts to achieve universal school feeding and improve access to education for vulnerable learners.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba held talks with WFP Assistant Executive Director for Operations Matthew Hollingworth at the agency’s headquarters in Rome, Italy, on Tuesday, focusing on strengthening cooperation in the implementation and expansion of the School Meals Programme.
The discussions come as the government seeks to extend school feeding to more learners, particularly those from vulnerable households, while sustaining the programme’s contribution to school attendance and retention.
Kenya and WFP's longstanding school feeding partnership
Kenya’s partnership with WFP on school meals dates back to 1979, making the agency a longstanding partner in efforts to address hunger among school-going children.
The programme has played a significant role in supporting learners from disadvantaged backgrounds by providing meals at school, helping reduce the burden on families and encouraging children to enrol and remain in class.
Beyond education, the initiative also supports rural economies by creating a ready market for produce supplied by smallholder farmers, linking school feeding to agricultural production and household incomes.
Expanding the programme is expected to strengthen these benefits as Kenya pursues its goal of ensuring that every learner who needs school meals can access them.
Government seeks to expand school meals coverage
Ogamba was accompanied by, among other officials, Kenya’s Ambassador to Italy, Frederick Lusambili Matwang’a.
The meeting underscores the importance of international cooperation in scaling up school feeding, with sustained government commitment and strategic partnerships expected to remain central to achieving universal coverage.
However, expanding the programme will require adequate and reliable financing, effective food procurement and distribution systems, and close coordination between national and county governments and development partners.
For Kenya, the broader objective is to make school meals an integral part of efforts to improve learning outcomes, tackle child hunger and support local agricultural communities.
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