Nairobi governor candidate Polycarp Igathe has pledged to provide free lunch in schools in informal settlements if he is elected on August 9.
The proposed programme, which will be known as Linda Jamii, will see households receive food packages weekly.
Mr Igathe, who is seeking the seat under the Jubilee Party, said many children in Nairobi’s slums fail to go to school due to hunger as their parents live on less than a dollar a day.
He said the initiative seeks to achieve “zero hunger” in informal settlements – which constitute 60 percent of Nairobi’s population – with children receiving the food rations every Friday to take home.
Mr Igathe said the programme would serve all learners at Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centres, primary and secondary schools.
“I would like to promise that the Nairobi County government will be providing food to all learners in informal settlements if I become governor,” said Mr Igathe when he donated food to Mathari Primary School pupils on Thursday.
Nairobi Jubilee gubernatorial candidate Polycarp Igathe with pupils from Mathari Primary School on June 30, 2022.
“The [scheme] will be known as Azimio Linda Jamii because the heart of jamii is the family. The family is the foundation of society,” he added.
The food will include carbohydrate, protein and vitamin components to ensure a balanced diet.
“The challenge in Nairobi is stunted growth because many children in informal settlements do not get a balanced diet. Going forward, it will not only be education, our children will also get food while in school and some to take home,” he said.
Mr Igathe also promised to ensure that all children who score at least 380 marks in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam automatically qualify for a bursary from his administration. BY DAILY NATION