Hon. Tabitha Karanja has sought statement regarding the status of the school feeding program for Early Childhood Development Centers (ECDEs) across the County.
This initiative is paramount as it directly impacts the welfare and educational journey of our young learners.
The statement read: Cognizant of the constitutional rights enshrined in Article 43(f) and Article 53(1)(b), which advocate for the right to education and free basic education for every child respectively, it’s imperative that we ensure the effective implementation of the school feeding program.
Additionally, with the devolution of matters concerning preprimary education, it is the responsibility of the County Government to uphold the standards outlined in the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Policy Framework and the Children Act of 2001.
The allocation of Ksh. 25,000,000 in the budget for the Financial Year 2023/2024 underscores the commitment to this program, to provide adequate nutrition and promoting learner retention in ECDEs.
The County Assembly hereby requests a comprehensive statement from the County Executive Committee Member for Education and Vocational Training, through the Chairperson of the relevant Sectoral Committee, addressing the following inquiries:
Status of implementation of the school feeding program, measures taken to ensure timely delivery of food ratios to designated centers and assurance of infrastructure readiness to support the program.
Measures to ensure that the supplied ‘uji’ (porridge) meets the required nutritional health standards for our young learners is also of concern.
The County Assembly, remains dedicated to ensuring the holistic development and well-being of all children and the feedback on these critical matters will greatly inform the actions towards enhancing the quality of early childhood education within its jurisdiction.
