Leaders of Alternative Provision of Basic Education and Training (APBET) schools in Nairobi are urging the county government to extend its flagship school feeding programme to their institutions.
The appeal comes as many learners in low-cost private schools remain excluded from subsidised meal programmes despite facing the same food insecurity challenges as pupils in public schools.
School leaders say the exclusion has left parents struggling to afford daily meals, even though studies show that school feeding programmes significantly improve attendance, concentration and academic performance.
“We are urging the Nairobi County Government to extend the subsidised feeding model to APBET schools because all children belong to the county. Equal access would ensure every child benefits based on need, not the type of school they attend,” said Amos Kuremu, principal of Lunga Lunga Baptist School in Makadara Sub-county.
APBET schools mainly serve disadvantaged children who are unable to access public education due to various barriers. Many operate in informal settlements where hunger and food insecurity directly affect learning outcomes.
Currently, the county’s Dishi na County programme mainly serves public schools. Since its launch in 2023, it has grown into one of Nairobi’s largest social programmes, feeding more than 316,000 learners daily in over 230 public primary schools and early childhood centres through 17 central kitchens.
However, a recent policy brief shows that about 60 per cent of Nairobi’s 500,000 school-age children attend low-fee private schools such as APBET institutions. This leaves roughly 300,000 learners outside publicly subsidised feeding programmes.
According to Inviolata Njoroge of LVCT Health, extending subsidised meals to these schools would help address hunger, malnutrition and diet-related illnesses while improving attendance and classroom concentration.
Kuremu said school meals have already improved attendance in institutions that have introduced them, noting that pupils previously allowed to go home for lunch often failed to return for afternoon classes.
However, parents say the cost remains high, as APBET schools charge about Sh30 per meal compared to the county’s Sh5 subsidised meals.
