By Valentine Omondi
Murang’a County is preparing to expand its subsidised school meals programme to more than 200,000 learners, in a plan that will see parents pay less for school meals while the county government takes on a larger share of the cost.
The programme, which is being implemented in partnership with Food4Education, is expected to cover learners in public primary schools, Junior Secondary Schools and Early Childhood Development Education centres when the wider rollout begins in January 2027.
Under the expanded programme, parents are expected to pay Sh15 per child per day, down from the Sh20 contribution that has been tested during the pilot phase, while the county government subsidises the remaining cost.
The programme is expected to benefit about 215,000 learners across hundreds of learning institutions, with the county setting aside Sh200 million to support its implementation. Governor Irungu Kang’ata has said the initiative is intended to ensure learners have access to nutritious meals while also easing the financial burden on families.
How the programme will work
The subsidised meals model was tested for about one-and-a-half years to establish whether parents could afford to contribute towards the cost of feeding their children at school.
During the pilot, parents paid Sh20 per day. Kang’ata said participation levels ranged between 70 and 92 per cent, which the county interpreted as evidence that most parents were able and willing to contribute towards subsidised school meals.
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“The county now plans to reduce the contribution to Sh15 as it moves to expand the programme, with the government taking on part of the cost,” Kang’ata said.
The county will also fully pay for meals for learners from vulnerable households who may not be able to afford even the subsidised contribution.
The beneficiaries will include orphans, learners with disabilities, children from vulnerable households, children with disabled parents and vulnerable children from single-parent families.
The programme builds on Murang’a’s existing school feeding efforts, particularly the county’s ECDE Uji Programme, which provides free fortified porridge to young learners.
In May 2024, Kang’ata said the subsidised lunch pilot was already running in 55 primary schools, with parents paying Sh20 and Food4Education topping up the cost. He said the pilot would run for two years before possible expansion.
According to the county government, the Uji programme currently serves about 42,000 children in 700 ECDE centres and is implemented in partnership with Food4Education. The county says the initiative has helped improve enrolment by reducing hunger among young learners.
Food4Education partnership
Food4Education is expected to remain central to the expanded meals programme, providing the infrastructure and systems required to prepare and distribute food to participating schools.
The partnership builds on the feeding structures already established through the county’s ECDE programme. Murang’a has also signed an Intergovernmental Partnership Agreement with the national government to provide a framework for extending the programme to primary schools and JSS, which fall under the national government’s education responsibilities.
The county has committed Sh200 million towards the expansion, while 67 kitchens are under construction to support the wider programme.
On August 26, 2026, the county formally announced the planned countywide expansion, targeting more than 215,000 learners, with the parental contribution falling to Sh15. Kang’ata announced the planned expansion after visiting Food4Education’s headquarters in Ruiru and two schools in Kiambu County for benchmarking. The programme is expected to cover about 512 learning institutions, according to reporting on the rollout.
More than meals
Murang’a’s plan is also designed to connect school feeding with the county’s agricultural economy.
The county has said the programme will provide a market for produce from local farmers, including milk and mangoes.
About 200,000 packets of processed milk are expected to be supplied to learners every month through Murang’a County Creameries Union. During the mango season between January and March, the programme is expected to purchase about one million mangoes each month for use in the school meals programme.
The county says the arrangement will give farmers a more reliable market for their produce while keeping part of the money generated by the programme within the local economy.
The programme is also expected to create employment at participating schools, with people involved in preparing and serving meals.
Latest preparations
As Murang’a moves closer to the wider rollout, the county has begun preparations to recruit School Coordinators and Food Champions in participating schools.
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The recruitment process announced on September 19 is expected to take place in participating schools, with primary schools getting a School Coordinator and a Food Champion. In standalone ECDE centres, one person will serve in the combined role.
The Food Champion will be selected by parents, while the School Coordinator will be recruited through a competitive process. The positions are intended to support the administration and implementation of the meals programme at school level.
The recruitment comes as the county prepares to move beyond the pilot phase and extend the subsidised meals model to more schools.
The broader programme therefore brings together several objectives: providing affordable meals to learners, supporting vulnerable families, improving the learning environment and creating a structured market for agricultural produce from Murang’a.
With the parental contribution expected to fall from Sh20 to Sh15, the county hopes the subsidy will allow more families to participate while the government assumes a greater share of the cost as the programme expands in January 2027.
