Kenya urges Africa to treat school feeding as investment, not aid

By Newsflash Writer

Gaborone, Botswana — Kenya has used the 11th African Day of School Feeding to send a clear message across the continent: school meals must no longer be viewed as charity, but as deliberate economic policy.

Addressing ministers and development partners at the continental forum in Gaborone, on Sunday, March 1, 2026, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba framed Kenya’s homegrown school feeding programme as a long-term investment in human capital, rural markets and climate resilience.

Kenya’s initiative dates back to the 1980s, when it was launched with support from the World Food Programme. Over four decades, what began as a basic nutritional intervention has grown into a central pillar supporting access to education, particularly in arid and semi-arid counties. According to the Ministry of Education, school meals have contributed to increased enrolment, improved attendance and retention, and better learning outcomes among vulnerable learners.

This year’s address, however, focused less on history and more on sustainability and scale.

Strain and system reform

The 2025 financial year placed unusual strain on the programme. Climate shocks and emerging drought conditions disrupted food supply chains in ASAL regions, while global food price inflation pushed operational costs higher. At the same time, fiscal pressures constrained the government’s ability to expand spending.

Rather than retreat, Kenya opted to reconfigure.

In partnership with the World Food Programme and the Rockefeller Foundation, the government updated its National School Meals Policy and unveiled a scale-up strategy centred on homegrown procurement. The model connects smallholder farmers directly to schools, creating predictable markets while stabilising rural incomes.

The government also marked one year of its National School Meals Coalition, which brings together ministries responsible for education, agriculture, health and climate, alongside development partners and civil society actors. The objective is tighter coordination — reducing duplication and aligning investments behind a single national framework.

The reformed approach extends beyond food provision. Schools are transitioning from firewood to clean cooking solutions following a successful pilot phase, a shift expected to reduce environmental degradation and unlock carbon financing opportunities. Digital systems are being strengthened through the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS), designed to serve as a single, reliable data source for planning and accountability.

Water security has also entered the policy conversation. Investments in water harvesting and storage systems within school environments aim to reduce dependence on erratic rainfall — a recognition that food systems must adapt to increasingly unpredictable climate patterns.

Financing the ambition

Despite budgetary constraints, Kenya financed the majority of its school feeding programme domestically in 2025, allocating Ksh. 3 billion (USD 23.2 million). Combined with partner support, the funding enabled the country to reach nearly 3.2 million learners.

That figure remains below Kenya’s ambition of reaching 10 million children by 2030. Achieving that target will require an estimated USD 349 million annually.

Ogamba called for innovative financing mechanisms — including climate finance, debt swaps, matching funds and blended finance — to bridge the funding gap without undermining fiscal sustainability. The next milestone is expansion to 4 million learners in 2026, keeping the programme on track toward its long-term goal.

Kenya’s position reflects a broader continental shift, with school feeding increasingly integrated into agricultural policy, climate adaptation strategies and economic planning.

In Gaborone, the message was clear: feeding children in school is not simply about preventing hunger for a day. It is about building the workforce, strengthening rural economies, stabilising local markets and protecting communities against climate volatility.

For Kenya, the transition from safety net to economic strategy is already underway. The challenge now lies in mobilising the partnerships and financing needed to take the model to scale.