In an ambitious step toward eliminating child malnutrition and improving early childhood education outcomes, Uasin Gishu County has partnered with stakeholders to roll out and enhance school feeding programs across its public pre-primary institutions.
The initiative comes as a response to growing concerns over food insecurity and undernutrition among the county’s youngest learners. According to the 2023 Uasin Gishu County Statistical Abstract, over 40,000 children are enrolled in 674 public pre-primary schools. Despite this encouraging enrollment, a significant number of these children continue to grapple with hunger and poor nutrition.
During a multi-sectoral sensitization meeting hosted by the County Department of Health Services in collaboration with Soy Afric Limited, Acting Director of Health Services Dr. Wenseslaus Kuria underscored the critical role of nutrition in early development.
“A structured school feeding program can transform lives by ensuring that every child receives at least one nutritious meal daily. In doing so, we not only fight hunger but also boost learning outcomes and improve overall health,” Dr. Kuria said.
County Nutrition Coordinator AnnSusan Bett highlighted that Uasin Gishu's stunting rate currently stands at 14%, as per the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022. She emphasized that nutrition education and awareness on proper diets are key to preventing both undernutrition and overnutrition in young children.
The sensitization forum brought together stakeholders from health, education, and agriculture sectors to forge a coordinated response to the problem. Among the strategies discussed were establishing ready markets for locally grown crops such as maize, sorghum, soya, and beans to support feeding programs, and improving the quality of raw materials for fish and dairy feed production, including DOC and full-fat soya.
Winfred Kaptui, a representative from Soy Afric Limited, closed the event by conducting cooking demonstrations using fortified food products. These foods, specifically designed to meet the dietary needs of children under five, are expected to play a central role in the new feeding programs.
The County Government now hopes to scale up the initiative and sustain it through cross-sector collaboration, ensuring that every child in Uasin Gishu not only learns but thrives.
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