Milimani High Court Judge Chacha Mwita has dismissed the case challenging the Nairobi County school feeding program dubbed ‘Dishi na County’.
The case was filed by politician Janet Ouko, who argued that the program lacked the necessary public participation and suggested that the funds could have been better utilized for building classrooms.
In dismissing the case, Justice Mwita emphasized the importance of the feeding program for the welfare of hundreds of thousands of school-going children.
He cited the constitution, stating that matters concerning children’s welfare must be prioritized, thus justifying the dismissal of the case.
Nairobi Health and Nutrition CEC Suzanne Silantoi welcomed the ruling, highlighting its significance for Nairobi’s children who continue to benefit from the program.
She noted that one in four children previously missed school due to hunger.
“The Governor, Johnson Sakaja, prioritized food in schools after discovering that hunger was causing children to miss school,” Silantoi stated.
She reported that since the program’s inception, over 17 million meals have been served, benefiting more than 200,000 pupils who receive hot, nutritious meals daily at a cost of Ksh5 each.
Silantoi also mentioned plans to expand the program by completing seven more kitchens in Nairobi, which would bring the total to 17 kitchens serving over 307,000 children.
This will cover the entire scope of children in Nairobi’s public ECDE and Primary schools have access to the meals. The program will also be extended to children in informal primary schools at a later stage of implementation.
Launched last year, Dishi na County began with the groundbreaking of 10 kitchens across Nairobi, and the first meal was served on August 28, 2023.
The program is a partnership between Nairobi County and Food4Education, a non-profit organization that also operates in other counties, including Muranga and Mombasa.
