NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 31 — Nairobi County is racing against time to complete seven new central kitches to support Governor Johnson Sakaja’s flagship school feeding initiative, Dishi Na County.
Efforst to complete additional kitchens come as City Hall gears to mark a year since the launch of the program in August 2023.
Dishi Na County has provided hot, nutritious meals to over 180,000 pupils across the city county.
Governor Sakaja said new kitchens will be located at Dandora 1 Primary School (Embakasi North), Donholm Primary School (Embakasi East) and Mutuini Primary School (Dagoretti South).
Others are planned for Uhuru Gardens Primary School (Langata), Ndururuno Primary School (Mathare), Umoja 1 Primary School (Embakasi West), and Zawadi Primary School (Kamkunji).
The additional kitchens will add to an existing ten located at Racecourse Primary (Starehe), Baba Dogo Primary (Ruarakà), Roysambu Primary (Roysambu), Njiru Primary (Kasarani), Bidii Primary (Makadara), Kayole 1 Primary (Embakasi Central), Mukuru kwa Njenga Primary (Embakasi South), Farasi Lane Primary (Westlands), Muthangari Primary (Dagoretti North) and Toi Primary (Kibra).
The construction of additional kitchens, City Hall said, highlights the county’s commitment to eradicating hunger among school children.
“Upon completion, each sub-county in Nairobi will have its own central kitchen,”
Sakaja stated
The Dishi Na County Programme, launched in June 2023, began with the establishment of ten central kitchens, with the first meals served on August 28, 2023.
By January 2024, the second phase had seen an additional ten kitchens operational, catering to 184,000 children from 106 public schools daily.
310,000 pupils
The initiative has since expanded, now feeding 310,000 pupils, with numbers expected to rise further in third term.
“This initiative has significantly reduced dropout rates by ensuring that children receive at least one nutritious meal per day,” Sakaja confirmed.
Governor Sakaja also emphasized the program’s role in tackling food insecurity among students.
“No child should miss school due to lack of food. One in every four children used to miss school. I am glad that this will soon be a thing of the past,” he affirmed.
With the new facilities, Nairobi County will have seventeen modern kitchens, reinforcing its position as a leader in innovative solutions to educational and nutritional challenges.
