Boost school feeding plan to curb dropouts

The school feeding programme, which is a lifeline for millions of children in the arid and semi-arid lands, is in dire straits. Millions of vulnerable young learners risk dropping out of school after the programme was allocated only Sh3 billion.

With Sh7.8 billion needed annually to adequately cater for 2.6 million learners, this leaves a deficit of nearly Sh4.8 billion. The National Assembly Committee on Education had even proposed a funding top-up of Sh1.75 billion for the 2025/26 financial year.

The financing gap has left schools struggling to feed learners in drought-prone regions, urban informal settlements and other marginalised areas with the highest number of out-of-school children, particularly aged five and below.

The financial allocations have stagnated over the years despite the rising enrolment in basic education and the worsening food insecurity in those regions. The parliamentary committee says the proposed increment was meant to boost the learners’ retention in school.

Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok says the funding shortfall could spell doom for the 2.6 million learners in the most affected areas, undermining the ability to provide for the full 180-day school calendar. In many of the food-insecure counties, the feeding programme has become more than just a welfare intervention.

It is key to nutrition and helps to keep children in school. For many children, it is often the only dependable meal of the day. The underfunding undermines its consistency and reach.

The government has had to launch emergency interventions to provide some meals. The lack of food, which is a major incentive for school attendance in the poor areas, has caused a decline in performance, putting students at risk.

This social welfare programme should be adequately funded as it is essential to child nutrition and school enrolment.

Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.