The Government of Nairobi County announced it intends to make its signature Dishi na County school meal initiative a permanent part of the city’s public schools.
In a public notice dated September 25, Godfrey Akumali, Head of County Public Service, stated that the county is developing an official policy the Nairobi City County School Feeding Policy (2025) to anchor the programme to law and ensure that all public school students are issued daily meals.
“The Policy seeks to institutionalize the School Feeding Programme into a scheme that will ensure every learner in Nairobi City receives a healthy and safe meal daily to impact education, health, and social protection,” the notice continued.
The Dishi na County program was first piloted in mid-2023 and is now active in several Nairobi public schools.
The model delivers hot meals to students at a subsidized Ksh5 per meal, funded through a digital Tap2Eat platform, made possible by Near Field Communication (NFC) technology in the form of a wearable watch.
The County budgeted the programme Ksh1.7 billion in the 2023/2024 budget and a further Ksh400 million in the 2024/2025 supplementary budget. If approved, the total expense of running the programme will be over Ksh2 billion per year.
To maintain the programme at that standard, the County is about to collaborate with the National Government, ensuring that the project is well funded and conforming to national standards.
Public Participation Open
As part of the policy-development process, Nairobi County invites members of the public to share their views. Parents and guardians, school principals, teachers, student representatives, religious leaders, NGOs, and private sector food and nutrition stakeholders have all been invited.
There is a public forum on:
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
9:00 AM – 1:30 PM
Charter Hall, City Hall Buildings
Attendees who are unable to come in person can submit written memoranda to Public Participation Offices, Main City Hall, 2nd Floor, or email before the day of the forum.
“Government hereby gives notice to the general public, stakeholders, and all interested persons of the planned public participation exercise on the proposed Nairobi City County School Feeding Policy, 2025,” the notice read.
The County noted that the exercise is consistent with Article 10 of the 2010 Constitution of Kenya, which provides for national values, and Article 196 that requires public participation in policy-making.
It also concurs with Section 115 of the County Governments Act, 2012, that requires citizen engagement in planning in the county and projects.
If approved, the policy will assist in securing long-term success for the Dishi na County programme, offering thousands of Nairobi children prolonged access to food and with it, the promise of better health, education, and dignity at school.
