Nairobi Schools Implement Nutrition Standards for School Meals

Nairobi County has announced strengthened nutrition standards for its school-feeding programme, Dishi na County, to ensure meals served in public primary and ECD (early-childhood) institutions are both safe and balanced. Under the upgraded framework, each child is guaranteed a daily hot meal weighing approximately 650 grams, designed to meet dietary requirements that support learning and growth.
The new measures come as the County moves to institutionalize its school-feeding initiative through a formal policy, aiming to make meal provision a permanent pillar of its social investment strategy. The model relies on 17 central kitchens—one in each sub-county—to prepare meals under food-safety protocols, while technology plays a role in tracking consumption: pupils pay just KSh 5 per meal via a digital Tap2Eat system linked to NFC-enabled wristbands, making it easier to monitor nutrition delivery and reduce waste.
Nutritionists and education stakeholders have praised the shift, saying it aligns with broader national and international standards for school meal quality. The meals provided under the programme include a variety of macro- and micronutrients—carbohydrates, protein, vegetables—and comply with food safety and dietary guidelines outlined in Kenya’s national school-health strategy. However, there are calls for more regular review of these standards to adapt to emerging nutrition science and to ensure cost-efficiency as the programme expands.
Looking ahead, Nairobi County plans to extend the feeding programme to informal schools currently outside the system, with Governor Johnson Sakaja noting that 69 additional kitchens may be required to reach all learners. Officials say institutionalizing the feeding scheme will safeguard nutrition provision long term, while allowing for periodic audits and public-participation processes in menu design and quality. If fully implemented, the enhanced nutrition standard could position Nairobi as a model for how urban school feeding can combine health, equity and education.