Nairobi — More than 20,000 students from 47 public mixed-day secondary schools in Alego Usonga and Nyando sub-counties are benefiting from a pilot feeding and mentorship programme aimed at reducing school dropouts and teenage pregnancies, while improving academic performance.
The initiative is spearheaded by the Child Welfare Society of Kenya (CWSK) in partnership with Alego Usonga Member of Parliament Samwel Atandi, and is overseen by the Ministry of Gender, Culture and Children Services. It targets learners from vulnerable households affected by poverty, flooding and food insecurity.
Donated food items -- including maize, beans, cowpeas and cooking oil -- are being used to support school feeding programmes across participating schools.
According to Ben Willis, an officer with CWSK, the programme was designed to keep students in school by addressing hunger, a major contributor to absenteeism and poor academic performance.
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"Our goal is to eradicate teenage pregnancies and school dropouts by creating a supportive learning environment," Willis said, noting that schools have already recorded improved class attendance and better academic outcomes since the programme began.
Alego Usonga Constituency Manager Maurice Owuor said food distributed in October last year has had a noticeable impact, with learners now more settled and focused in class.
"We have seen improved discipline and performance, and a significant reduction in teenage pregnancies. This initiative has been a game changer, enabling more students to attain direct university entry after completing their examinations," Owuor said.
Siaya Sub-County Director of Education Maurice Saka said the feeding programme has eased the financial burden on parents, many of whom struggle to provide daily meals for their children.
He noted that the initiative has helped curb cases where students drop out of school to engage in fishing or small-scale mining to support their families.
School administrators have also welcomed the programme, citing improved academic performance. Principals from Mwer Principal Secondary School and Dark Alison Senior Secondary School reported positive results, with one school recording an increase in its KCSE mean grade from 4.0 to 5.7 in the most recent examinations.
CWSK has announced plans to expand the programme to other regions, including Keiyo South in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Mogotio in Baringo County and Ndhiwa in Homa Bay County, starting next week as part of broader efforts to enhance student welfare nationwide.
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Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture and Children Services Hanna Cheptumo, alongside Children Services Principal Secretary Carren Ageng'o, spoke at Lela Secondary School in Nyando Sub-County during the distribution of food supplies and mentorship materials to day secondary schools.
They reaffirmed the government's commitment to safeguarding children's rights, promoting child participation and ensuring continuity of learning during emergencies.
Cheptumo said the intervention by CWSK is addressing immediate barriers to school attendance, including lack of food, sanitary towels and basic learning materials.
"We are responding to an emergency need to feed children at this time. In some areas it is drought, but in places like this it is flooding. When floods occur, families lose food and children are unable to come to school," she said.
