National School Meals and Nutrition Strategy.

This National School Meals and Nutrition Strategy is a nationwide sectoral document aiming at providing a framework to ensure that all children in pre-primary and primary schools receive at least one nutritious meal per school day so that School children are well-nourished and healthy to be able to learn, as for the Vision of the Strategy. A three-pillar approach is recommended for school meals in Kenya (1) regular provision of meals every school day throughout the school year; (2) acknowledgement of nutrition and nutrition education as core components of school meals; and (3) linking smallholder farmers with the demand for school meals by procuring directly from these suppliers where possible. To achieve the overall goal of the Strategy - which is in line with the Kenyan Constitution (2010), which expressly recognizes access to food as a human right, and Vision 2030, which aims to transform Kenya into a newly industrialized middle-income country - the document highlights six strategic objectives, as follows (i) develop a sustainable national school meals and nutrition program; (ii) increase awareness and intake of adequate, locally available and nutritious foods among school children and their communities; (iii) improve the enrollment, attendance, retention, completion and learning outcomes of school children with equity; (iv) promote local and inclusive development; (v) promote partnerships and multi-sectoral coordination for complementary support and effective implementation of a school meals and nutrition program; and (vi) strengthen governance and accountability.
The strategy highlights the prioritization of the direct purchase of food items from local smallholder farmers, then regionally and nationally until adequate supplies are found.