Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja’s flagship feeding programme, “Dishi na County”, has grown to serve more than 324,000 learners every school day, but its long-term future still hinges on a policy framework that is yet to be approved.
The programme, launched on August 28, 2023, with the promise of ensuring that no child misses school because of hunger, has so far delivered more than 85 million meals to pupils in 230 public schools across all 17 constituencies.
It is expected to serve its 100 millionth meal in November, marking a significant milestone for a programme that sprouted from an election promise.
But even as the programme enters its fourth year, there are concerns about the policy framework and whether it will survive beyond the current administration.
The Public Finance Management (Nairobi City County School Feeding Programme Fund) Regulations, 2025, which seek to provide a policy framework to ensure its continuity, are yet to be passed by the Nairobi County Assembly.
The proposed regulations, tabled before the assembly in November 2025, are yet to be approved almost a year later. In June this year, Woodley MCA David DNG Ngibuini, who serves on the Committee on Delegated County Legislation, asked the assembly for an extension of time to consider the regulations, saying they had encountered difficulties while trying to obtain information from the county executive.
Mr Ngibuini said the feeding and transport officials had repeatedly failed to appear before the committee despite several invitations and requests for submissions and clarifications needed to scrutinise the proposed regulations.
President William Ruto, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson join pupils of Zawadi Comprehensive School, Kamukunji in Nairobi County for lunch during the official opening of the Dishi na County Central Kitchen on March 10, 2025.
Photo credit: PCS
He accused the county executive of laxity and said the lack of cooperation had constrained the committee’s ability to interrogate the regulations and establish whether they met the requirements of the law.
“This lack of cooperation and runaround by the county executive has constrained the committee’s ability to comprehensively interrogate the regulations and ensure compliance with statutory requirements,” Mr Ngibuini said.
The policy seeks to establish a dedicated school feeding programme fund and a nine-member board that will oversee the management of the programme, including approval of budgets, supervision of contractors, monitoring of expenditure and review of financial statements before they are submitted to the Auditor-General.
The board will also have powers to determine parental cost-sharing rates and ensure that money collected from parents and other sources is properly accounted for. The regulations further require contractors, for instance for food and education, to submit quarterly reports detailing the actual costs incurred in food procurement, kitchen operations, staffing and distribution of meals.
The framework also provides for all parental contributions and other receipts generated by the programme to be channelled through the dedicated fund, giving the county a clearer mechanism for tracking money flowing into and out of the programme.
The move comes after the programme faced questions over the management of donor funds, payments to the implementing contractor and the absence of clear guidelines governing its operations.
Mr Sakaja has, however, defended the programme, saying the administration had remained committed to keeping it running despite the challenges and criticism it has faced since its launch.
“It has not been easy to see the ‘Dishi na County’ programme succeed through doubts, politics and court cases, among other challenges. Today, we are feeding over 324,000 learners across all 17 sub-counties in 230 public schools, and we shall not stop,” Mr Sakaja said.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja joins Nairobians in sharing a meal outside City Hall on August 9, 2023, during Dishi na County's test run.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
He said the county was now looking beyond the current number of beneficiaries, with public day secondary schools identified as the next frontier for expansion.
“The other frontier is secondary schools, and for informal schools. A plan is underway; we shall be able to deliver. All we need is patience, planning and execution,” he said.
Nairobi County Executive Committee Member for Health and Nutrition Suzanne Silantoi said the significance of the plan should not be measured only by the number of meals served.
“We are approaching 100 million meals served, but beyond that number are hundreds of thousands of children who can count on a hot meal every school day,” Ms Silantoi said.
She said that besides the numbers, “Dishi na County” has eased the daily struggle of putting food on the table.
For parents whose incomes depend on casual and unpredictable work, the programme has also provided something that is often difficult to guarantee at home — a reliable meal for their children during the school day.
“I leave the house at 6am to look for ‘Mama fua’ jobs in Kilimani area. My work is not guaranteed, so it used to be difficult to know what my child would eat for lunch. But with ‘Dishi na County’, I no longer worry about whether my child will get food at school,” said Ms Sofia Waruku.
For Ms Mirriam Khaemba, the affordability of the programme has made the difference. She said Sh50 loaded onto her child’s “Dishi na County” tap-to-eat wristband can cover meals for about two weeks, with each meal costing Sh5.
“Although Sh5 may not buy you much, it does wonders through this programme because my child gets food from Monday to Friday,” she said.
Another parent said even the Sh5 contribution can sometimes be difficult to raise, underscoring the financial pressures facing some families.
“Sometimes it is hard to even get the Sh5, but my child has never been removed from the line when it is time to get food at school. We pray that this programme continues because it is saving lives and making a big difference for families like ours,” she said.
This comes even as the county this week announced plans to introduce chapati to the menu under Dishi na County, with Mr Sakaja witnessing the installation of a chapati-making machine at the Toi Primary Kitchen in Kibra.
The machine has the capacity to produce up to 2,000 chapatis an hour, with the county saying schools will receive the meal on a coordinated schedule as part of efforts to improve the variety of food served to learners.
The introduction of chapati is part of the county’s efforts to expand and improve the programme as the number of beneficiaries continues to grow.
Mr Sakaja said the machine was another commitment fulfilled by his administration as the county seeks to make the programme more attractive to learners while maintaining its ability to serve hundreds of thousands of children every school day.
“We don’t do politics with the lives of the people that we serve. We don’t promise to be heard; we promise to deliver. We have been able to secure the machine and it is up and running,” Mr Sakaja said.
Mr Sakaja said the milestone was significant for a programme that had faced criticism, political opposition and court battles since its inception.
“It is a dream come true. We have moved from a situation where one in every four pupils could miss school because of lack of food to now feeding more than 324,000 learners. Some children even carry food home,” he said.
