AfriPulse
Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja’s Dishi Na County programme is marking one year since it was launched Dandora 1 Primary School headteacher, Gladys Omollo, explained how the initiative has improved nutrition among learners Speaking to TUKO.co.ke, Omollo further explained why Sakaja should extend the programme to holidays Amos Khaemba, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
As Nairobi marks two years of the Dishi na County school feeding programme, stories of transformation continue to emerge, with none more powerful than that of 200 children who were rescued from scavenging at dumpsites and brought back to class.
Governor Johnson Sakaja’s Dishi Na County is marking two years. Photo: Johnson Sakaja.
Source: Facebook Speaking to TUKO.co.ke, Dandora 1 Primary School headteacher, Gladys Omollo, said the initiative has not only improved nutrition among learners but has been a literal lifeline for children on the margins of society.
“Most of the learners who have come to our school were just loitering in the estate and eating from the garbage. But now that they know there is a reasonable meal, their parents have decided to bring them to school where they are safer,” Omollo Omollo revealed that the school’s enrollment has jumped significantly from 2,850 to 3,380 pupils since the feeding program began.
She attributes much of this increase to Dishi na County, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja’s flagship social welfare project launched in 2023 to provide a daily hot lunch to every public primary school student in the city.
The program has become a magnet for vulnerable children, many of whom were previously out of school, either due to poverty, neglect, or unstable family conditions.
“Some of these children were going to the dumpsite with their parents. With the Dishi na County initiative, we went to the dumpsite to campaign for their return to school because there is food,” she explained. The impact, Omollo said, has extended beyond education and into community cohesion. “About 50 of our learners are currently being fed because other parents have mobilised and are paying for them. That’s how much the community values this meal.”
She further urged Nairobi County to consider extending the program into the school holidays, a period she says poses new risks to vulnerable children.
“Most of the parents are requesting that, if possible during holidays, they can pay some amount of money for their children to feed. Most of them end up disappearing from home because they don’t have a meal. “As the head of the institution, I want to plead with the county to consider my parents because we don’t want the kids to end up back in the dumpsite,” Omollo added. Governor Johnson Sakaja had vowed to ensure Dishi Na County is successful. Photo: Johnson Sakaja.
Source: Facebook Kiambu county’s feeding programme Elsewhere, Kiambu governor Kimani Wamatangi also launched a comprehensive feeding programme to support the health and well-being of learners.
He explained that under this program, each child receives a daily bowl of fortified uji, two eggs weekly,
Source: Tuko.co.ke | Read the Full Story…
