Government to support nutritional feeding programme to all schools by 2030 - President Ruto

By Robert Mutasi 

President William Ruto has declared that by 2030, his government is committed to making sure every school-going child gets a nutritious meal.

President Ruto spoke when he hosted the Second Ministerial Meeting of the Task Force on School Meals Coalition in Nairobi County and outlined the government's plans to leverage partnerships with the private sector to scale up the school meals programme across the country in a sustainable way.

"The synergy we are building with the private sector promises to sustainably deliver impact at scale on our school meals programmes," said President Ruto. 

He indicated that the partnership would be important in ensuring that no child was left behind in having a healthy meal while at school. 

Particularly, targeting vulnerable children, the initiative looks forward to addressing malnutrition and hunger that have been perennial problems in Kenya's education system.

This school meal program has been part of what the country is doing to improve the educational outcomes in the areas where it's implemented, thus enabling it to jack up enrollment and attendance figures significantly, especially in the more disadvantaged regions of the country.

As the President explained, nutritious meals served will help students be healthier and feel better, improving their performance at school.

"By 2030, every child, especially the vulnerable ones, will have a healthy and nutritious meal in school amidst dignification, increased enrollment, improved attendance, and boosted performance," said President Ruto. 

The move is in line with the country's overall plan for attaining universal education and part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, notably SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 4 (Quality Education).

The President further took note that such improved attendance and concentration levels will spur students in disadvantaged communities towards a better achievement in academics, which in turn translates into economic opportunities-a key route to breaking the vicious cycle of poverty. 

He called upon all stakeholders, including civil society, international partners, and local communities, to support the initiative so that universal school meals are achieved not later than the 2030 target.

The Ministerial Meeting of the Task Force of the School Meals Coalition brought together key actors from both the education and nutrition sectors from across the globe. 

The Coalition is committed to supporting policies and strategies that ensure every child has access to a school meal, while Kenya's leadership on the issue has been hailed as a model for other developing nations.