The Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu faced the Senate which demanded to know how the Education Ministry spent 873 million shillings meant for the school feeding program. The education CS had told the senate education committee that the ministry has spent the amount in giving food aid to various schools affected by drought.
“The government through the ministry of education has not stopped the school feeding program. This particular program is budgeted for each and every year and the government knowing the importance of the program has been able to give budgetary allocation every year and this particular financial year we have 1.9 billion which we are using to supply food to the affected areas. We have 26 counties that this particular program is going on….,” Cabinet Secretary of Education Ezekiel Machogu said.
According to the ministry, 201 million shillings has been used to give cash transfers to various schools, 607 million shillings to buy food while further 54 million shillings has been used to transport food to the counties of Turkana, Samburu, Garissa, Wajir, Marsabit, Isiolo, Tana River, Mandera and West Pokot.
“One way that has been able to increase enrollment of our pupils in the areas affected is because of this program. It has also contributed very greatly to retention of pupils in those particular schools, the enrollment is high because of the school feeding program…” Ezekiel Machogu added.
The committee members, however, questioned the report because they said that no such program had ever been seen in schools in their counties. However, Machogu reassured the Senate that his ministry has a system in place to monitor the food distribution to all schools.
According to the Ministry, their difficulties are brought on by the high cost of food. The ministry estimates that in contrast to the 1.6 billion Kenyan shillings they have received, they need 3.6 billion shillings to feed 1.6 million children for a year. Even more money is being requested to feed 3 million children, for which they need 6.9 billion shillings.
By Calvin Angatia
