High Court rejects case seeking to halt 'Dishi Na County' school feeding program in Nairobi
In the ruling delivered on Friday, Justice Mwita said that halting the program would not be in the best interest of the children.
"It was for the welfare of the children that the program was initiated. We can't halt it. We will be running away from the issues affecting the children," Mwita noted.
In the case, a lobby group dubbed ‘Tunza Mtoto Coalition Kenya’ moved to court and challenged the program for students enrolled in public primary schools in the county.
In her suit, Tunza Mtoto Coalition Executive Director Jane Ouko argued that the ‘Dishi na County’ feeding program was illegal since Education is a National Government function.
However, the county through lawyer Duncan Okatch dismissed the allegations stating that all legal procedures were followed before the project’s official launch.
The County Government welcomed the ruling terming it a validation of their efforts to boost learning in the county.
Suzanne Silantoi, the County's CEC for Health and Nutrition said: "This ruling is so significant for the children of Nairobi because the courts have validated the efforts of Nairobi County in putting in an investment in the children of Nairobi who had been forgotten for a very long time."
She added: "Currently we are feeding about 200,000 children in public ECDE and primary schools across the county. We look to expand the scope of our work and complete and complete all public primary schools by September 2024."
The program is a partnership between Nairobi County and Food4Education, a non-profit organization that also operates in other counties, including Muranga and Mombasa.
