Nairobi governor aspirant Polycarp Igathe has promised to provide free lunch to all pupils in informal settlements if elected on August 9.
The Jubilee Party candidate noted that 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.
To avert this, Igathe will introduce a school-feeding programme dubbed ‘Linda Jamii’ that will see households receive food packages on a weekly basis.
Igathe said ‘Linda Jamii’ is aimed at achieving “zero hunger” in informal settlements, with children receiving the food rations every Friday to take home.
The initiative would serve all learners at Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centres, primary and secondary schools, he said.
“I would like to promise that the Nairobi County government will be providing food to all learners in informal settlements if I become governor,” Igathe said on Thursday when he donated food to Mathari Primary School pupils.
He added: “The [programme] will be known as Azimio Linda Jamii because the heart of jamii is the family. The family is the foundation of society.”
The food rations will constitute carbohydrates, protein, and vitamins 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.
At the same time, Igathe pledged a bursary for all children who score at least 380 marks in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education.
