Sakaja Plans to Extend Dishi na County Feeding Programme to Informal Schools
NAIROBI, Kenya — Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has revealed plans to expand the county’s flagship school feeding initiative, Dishi na County, to benefit learners in informal settlements. Speaking before the Senate Education Committee at Bunge Tower, Sakaja explained that the county is mapping public schools located near informal learning institutions to provide meals to children from these areas. Currently, 17 central kitchens serve 316,000 learners in 230 public schools, but expanding coverage would require the establishment of 69 additional kitchens — a challenge constrained by budgetary limitations.
Governor Sakaja highlighted that the initiative aims to ensure no child in Nairobi misses a meal during school hours. The programme, originally launched to provide daily meals to pupils in public primary and ECDE schools, has faced challenges in reaching children from informal settlements. To address this gap in the short term, the county will allow learners from informal schools to access meals at nearby public schools. Sakaja acknowledged that scaling the programme fully will require additional funding and infrastructure, emphasizing his commitment to seeing every child in the city included in Dishi na County.
The governor also addressed broader educational challenges in Nairobi, including the limited number of public schools and increasing demand for bursaries. With a population of over seven million, Nairobi currently has 210 public schools, which are insufficient to meet growing needs. To alleviate this, the county government is constructing 1,500 ECDE classrooms, while the national government is adding 5,000 more. Sakaja called for affirmative action to increase school infrastructure, noting that expanding access to education and feeding programmes is critical for the city’s learners, particularly those in informal settlements who often face barriers to basic educational services.