Of Sakaja and 'el chapo' promise: Chapati making machine finally lands in Nairobi
More than a year after President Ruto's chapati machine pledge made him the butt of jokes, Nairobi schools have started getting chapati, from a machine making 2,000 an hour.
NAIROBI, Kenya - The launch of a new chapati machine at Toi Primary Kitchen marks a significant milestone for Nairobi’s Dishi na County school feeding programme, as it nears the 100 million meal mark. Governor Johnson Sakaja highlighted the machine's capacity to produce up to 2,000 chapatis per hour, fulfilling a commitment that will benefit over 324,000 learners across the county who receive chapati on designated days.
Since its inception three years ago, the Dishi na County programme has served more than 85 million hot meals, with the ambitious goal of surpassing 100 million meals this term. Despite facing scepticism, political opposition, and court challenges, the programme has persevered, providing subsidized Sh5 meals to ease the burden on families and keep children in school.
Currently, the initiative serves over 324,000 learners in 230 public schools across all 17 sub-counties of Nairobi. Suzanne Silantoi, Nairobi County Executive Committee Member for Health and Nutrition, emphasized the programme's role in expanding meal variety and ensuring children have something familiar and exciting to look forward to daily.
Looking ahead, the county plans to extend the Dishi na County programme to public day secondary schools and develop a framework to reach learners in informal settlements. The programme, which currently provides subsidized meals to learners in public primary schools, aims to improve school attendance, nutrition, and learning outcomes.
Written by urgent.news from Capital FM Kenya's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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