Kenya’s School Meals Programme is now reaching 2.6 million children in public schools across 26 counties, marking one of the most significant expansions of a government social welfare initiative in recent years. The programme, which provides learners with a daily nutritious meal during school hours, has become a critical lifeline for millions of families across the country, particularly in food-insecure regions where hunger remains among the leading causes of school dropout and chronic absenteeism.
The 2025/26 national budget has allocated Ksh3 billion to sustain and grow the programme, reflecting a firm commitment from the government to prioritise child nutrition as a pillar of education policy. The funding covers meal provision costs, distribution logistics, and the participation of local farmers and food suppliers who form the backbone of the supply chain. County governments have also been encouraged to develop complementary feeding schemes calibrated to local food availability and nutritional needs.
One of the most prominent county-level success stories has emerged from Nairobi, where the Dishi na County initiative stands as a model for urban school feeding. Launched in August 2023 in partnership with Food for Education, the programme has delivered hot meals to 184,000 children attending public primary schools across the capital. Nairobi’s experience has demonstrated that cost-effective, nutritious meals can be provided at scale in a densely populated urban environment, and its outcomes are being closely studied by county administrations elsewhere exploring similar schemes.
The broader case for school feeding in Kenya is well supported by evidence. Research consistently shows that regular meals improve pupil attendance, boost concentration, and raise academic performance, particularly among children from low-income households. In Kenya, where a substantial share of the population remains below the poverty line, a school meal is frequently the most dependable source of daily nutrition a child receives. The programme also carries indirect economic benefits by stimulating demand from smallholder farmers who supply grains, legumes, and fresh vegetables to school kitchens across the country.
The government’s long-term ambition is to extend school meals to 10 million learners by 2030, more than tripling the current beneficiary count within the coming years. Reaching that target will require consistent budget commitments, tighter coordination between national and county governments, and deepened private sector partnerships. If the current trajectory holds, Kenya’s School Meals Programme is positioned to become one of the largest and most comprehensive school feeding systems on the African continent, offering a replicable model for other nations working to improve child nutrition and school retention simultaneously.
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