Change school diet from maize, beans

Nakuru, Wednesday, May 24, 2023

KNA by Veronica Bosibori

A nutritionist in Nakuru city has urged the government to take advantage of the current acute shortage of maize and beans in the country to transform school menus which have remained constant for far too long.

Mr. David Maina said the country has a variety of foodstuffs that are more nourishing, wholesome, healthy, and beneficial for the growing teenagers in boarding schools than the well-known and overused maize and beans.

The nutritionist suggested that school feeding programmes for primary day and secondary boarding schools should consider utilizing foods that are locally available in their areas instead of using just maize and beans countrywide.

Maina was reacting to the threats of schools closing due to the existing maize and beans shortage in the county that has been occasioned by the recent, prolonged drought that lasted for four seasons.

He noted that the delayed importation of maize by the government was good for the country since it might contribute to changing eating habits instead of the overreliance and dependence on maize that has almost become an addiction, despite the country having various alternatives.

Maina gave an example of sweet potatoes, bananas, and Irish potatoes as good and more nutritive starches that would easily be utilized for feeding students at schools and supporting the farmers who grow them.

He added that some potato farmers in Nakuru and Nyandarua have already started harvesting Irish potatoes and it was an opportune moment for them to supply schools instead of the government importing maize.   

The chairman of cereal traders in Nakuru city Julius Wambogo alias Mrefu said they have never experienced such a dire shortage of maize and beans despite some of them traveling all the way to Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Malawi in search of commodities.

He said they were likely to get the next consignment of maize and beans mid next month, and the price of 90kg of beans might be sold at Sh20,000 from the current Sh15,000. He added that the price of maize was likely to increase from Sh6,500 to Sh7,500.  

However, he disagreed with the nutritionist’s suggestion of the government changing and altering the school feeding diet of maize and beans to other starches because it would affect their business.

A spot check by KNA confirmed that a number of boarding schools in the county are left with just a few sacks of maize and beans that might not last for more than a week.

Courtesy ; K. N. A