More than a year after President William Ruto promised to provide a chapati-making machine for Nairobi’s school feeding programme, the equipment has finally been installed at Toi Primary Kitchen.
The machine, unveiled by Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, can produce up to 2,000 chapatis per hour and will supply schools under the Dishi na County programme.
The chapatis will not be served to all schools on the same day. The county has prepared a timetable that will see participating schools receive chapatis on designated days.
“We have 324,000 pupils to serve. A timetable has been put in place and each school will have its day to enjoy chapatis,” Sakaja said.
The development follows Ruto’s pledge in March 2025 after pupils asked for chapati to be added to the Dishi na County menu.
During a visit to Mathare, Ruto directed Sakaja to identify a supplier, saying he would provide a machine capable of making one million chapatis.
The promise quickly became a subject of public debate, with the President’s proposed one-million-chapati capacity attracting both excitement and criticism.
The machine now installed at Toi Primary has a reported capacity of 2,000 chapatis per hour. It is expected to increase the variety of meals offered under Dishi na County as the programme expands.
The feeding programme currently serves more than 324,000 learners in 230 public schools across Nairobi’s 17 sub-counties. The county is also approaching the 100 million-meal milestone this term.
For pupils enrolled in the programme, the arrival of the machine means chapati will now become part of the regular school menu, with schools receiving it according to the county’s feeding schedule.
