Ending school feeding plan will hurt children and education

Etasopia Primary School pupils, Kajiado, queue to be served lunch, October 2015. [Peterson Githaiga, Standard]

Malnutrition weighs heavily on Kenya's school-age children and adolescents, who make up a significant portion of the population at 36 per cent, according to African Population and Health Research Center.

The World Health Organisation advocates for food systems that prioritise healthy, sustainable diets to address the burden of malnutrition, especially in developing nations like Kenya. National policies, including the Constitution, Vision 2030, and the Food and Nutrition Security Policy, 2012, underscore the importance of nutrition for all citizens. Malnutrition has detrimental effects on growth, cognitive development and school performance, and has long-term health outcomes for children and adolescents.